GameFAQs Fall Contest 2006 Fanfiction
by ZenOfThunder
Summary: A small team of fanfiction writers get together to make a story based on the GameFAQs Fall Contest 2K6. Features Link, Cloud, Sephiroth, Mario, Solid Snake, Sora, Samus, Sonic, Crono, Mega Man, Tifa, Zelda, Tidus, Yuna, Aeris, Ryu, CATS and more.
1. Introduction

Hello, this is ZenOfThunder. I archive things. Usually I wouldn't archive fics where anybody can view it, but I actually wrote some of it, so I figured I might as well put it here seeing as I never use my account.

The writers are me, our leader, Cloud and Squall, ShadowHalo17, Wildcat X, Dragoner and Oddname. We may have a guest writer occasionally.

**Disclaimer: We do not own any of the characters, their game series, or anything affiliated with them. We also do not own GameFAQs, know CJayC or have his permission to do this.**

The bracket and who's who:

Spazer Division

#1. Samus Aran - Main character of Metroid series.

#8. Nidoran F - Minor character of Pokemon series.

#4. Ada Wong - Semi-major character of Resident EVil series

#5. Jade - Main character of Beyond Good and Evil

#3. Rikku - Playable character in Final Fantasy X, major character in Final Fantasy X-2

#6. Lenneth Valkyrie - Main character of Valkyrie Profile

#2. Kairi - Major character in Kingdom Hearts series

#7. Claire Redfield - One of the main characters of Resident Evil series, appears as main character in Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica

Limit Division

#1. Tifa Lockhart - Major character in Final Fantasy VII series.

#8. Ivy Valentine - Playable character in Soul Calibur series.

#4. The Boss - Main antagonist of Metal Gear Solid 3.

#5. Celes Chere - Major/Main character of Final Fantasy VI

#3. Jill Valentine - One of the main characters of Resident Evil series. Main character of Resident Evil and Resident Evil 3.

#6. Sheena Fujibayashi - Playable character in Tales of Symphonia

#2. Princess Peach - Major character in Super Mario series, star of Super Princess Peach.

#7. Princess Daisy - Minor character of Super Mario series.

Triforce Division

#1. Zelda - Major character of Legend of Zelda series.

#8. Carmen Sandiego - Main villain and character of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? series.

#4. Terra Branford - Main character of Final Fantasy VI

#5. Sarah Kerrigan - Main villain of Starcraft and Starcraft: Brood War

#3. KOS-MOS - Main character of Xenosaga series

#6. Amy Rose - Minor character of Sonic series

#2. Aeris Gainsborough - Major character of Final Fantasy VII

#7. Marle - Major character of Chrono Trigger

Aeon Division

#1. Yuna - Major character of Final Fantasy X, Main character of Final Fantasy X-2.

#8. Roll - Major character of Mega Man series

#4. Joanna Dark - Main character of Perfect Dark series

#5. Cortana - Major character of Halo series

#3. Chun Li - Major character of Street Fighter series

#6. Kasumi - Major character of Dead or Alive series

#2. Lara Croft - Major character of Tomb Raider series

#7. Alyx Vance - Major character of Half Life 2

Patriot Division

#1. Solid Snake - Main character of Metal Gear series

#8. Soma Cruz - Main character of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

#4. Squall Leonhart - Main character of Final Fantasy VIII

#5. Tidus - Main character of Final Fantasy X

#3. Riku - Major character of Kingdom Hearts series

#6. Yoshi - Major character of Super Mario series

#2. Dante - Main character of Devil May Cry series

#7. Ryu Hayabusa - Main character of Ninja Gaiden series

Destiny Division

#1. Sora - Main character of Kingdom Hearts series

#8. Tingle - Minor character of Legend of Zelda series

#4. Phoenix Wright - Main character of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorny series

#5. Gordon Freeman - Main character of Half Life series

#3. Kratos - Main character of God of War

#6. Ryu - Main character of Street Fighter

#2. Mega Man - Main character of Mega Man and Mega Man X series.

#7. Axel - Major villain in Kingdom Hearts series

Blast Division

#1. Sonic the Hedgehog - Main character of Sonic the Hedgehog series

#8. CATS - Main villain of Zero Wing. Main character of "All Your Base are Belong to us"

#4. Ganondorf - Main villain of Legend of Zelda series

#5. Vincent Valentine - Minor character in Final Fantasy VII, major character in all spin-offs.

#3. Kirby - Main character of Kirby series

#6. The Prince of Persia - Main character of Prince of Persia series

#2. Luigi - Major character of Super Mario series.

#7. Major character of Mega Man X series. Main character of Mega Man Zero series.

Time Division

#1. Crono - Main character of Chrono Trigger.

#8. Captain Falcon - Main character of F-Zero series

#4. Bowser - Main villain of Super Mario series.

#5. Leon Kennedy - Main character of Resident Evil series. Appears in Resident EVil 2 and Resident EVil 4.

#3. Auron - Playable character in Final Fantasy X.

#6. Alucard - Main character of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, major character of the Castlevania series.

#2. Master Chief - Main character of Halo series.

#7. Sub-Zero - Playable character of Mortal Kombat series.

Enjoy!


	2. Opening

**The Clogs of Fate Begin To Turn**

Subject 001 was completely unresponsive to the tests performed. The subject refused to cooperate.

Subject 002 was no better. Subject showed no signs of response to the testers themselves.

Subject 003 had even worse results. Subject became hostile upon start of the tests.

Subject 004, the latest subject, had similar results to the first two. Also refused to cooperate.

None of the subjects gave the results that the researchers had desired. All of them were being hard to work with.

"I think we need to create a situation in which the subjects are required to give us the results we want" the first reasearcher said.

"If she doesn't get what she wants from this, we'll all be in trouble" the second one told the first

"We should go talk to them again. We have to make them understand"

"It might be our only chance.."

The researchers left the room. They were entering a highly secured area, that they would need their key codes to access. The four subjects were very dangerous, they could not afford to let them escape.

The first researcher entered the cell where Subject 001 was being held.

"Subject 001. Link Toarus..." the researcher began.

Link did not respond.

"If you do not cooperate with us, you do realize that we'll be forced to create conditions that will force you to comply"

"Go ahead" Link told him. "Try"

"Why do you not want to cooperate?"

"Why should I cooperate?"

"You do realize that your only chance to leave is to cooperate"

"I'll leave on my own terms. You'll see."

"You don't know who you are messing with Mr. Toarus. My superiors won't let you leave until you cooperate"

"Like I said, I leave on my own terms. If they want me to stay, why don't they come and see me themselves?"

"They're very busy people Link. You have to understand"

"I don't have to do anything."

Meanwhile the second researcher had entered the cell where Subject 002 was being held.

"Subject 002. Cloud Strife. Hello Mr. Strife"

"Hmph" was Clouds only reply.

"You should really cooperate with us you know. If you cooperate, you'll be allowed to leave"

Cloud didn't even respond to what he was being told. He had completely ignored the researcher.

"Don't you want to leave"

There was no answer from Cloud.

The researcher could only shake his head.

"Don't you want to go home?"

There was again no answer from Cloud.

"Fine then. We'll have to make you cooperate then. That won't be favorable for you"

"Like I care" was all Cloud would say

The researcher was getting nowhere.

Both researchers had left the cells containing the first two subjects. Neither had been successful. They didn't even have to ask the other one. They pretty much knew this was all in vain. None of the subjects would cooperate. But they had to try the other two. If only they could convince one of them to cooperate... then she wouldn't come down on them so hard.

The first researcher carefully entered the cell containing the third subject.

"Subject 003... Sephiroth Crescent" the researcher said.

"That's not my name" Sephiroth told him

"According to this chart, it is."

"I have no connection to that abominable race. No connection to that STUPID WOMAN. and certainly no connection to that incompetent man"

"Why are you not cooperating with us Sephiroth?"

"I only do, what I want to do" Sephiroth said. "And I don't want to cooperate with you"

"You could leave if you did cooperate"

"Do you really think you are holding me here agianst my will? The only reason I've not left yet, is because I've not chosen to leave."

"Mr. Crescent... I don't think you understand"

"I TOLD YOU THAT IS NOT MY NAME" Sephiroth yelled

all the while, the other researcher was in the other cell with the final subject.

"Mario Mario, I'm begging of you to cooperate with us."

Mario didn't even speak.

"You could go home if you cooperated. You do realize we can create optimal conditions to make you cooperate. You could speed this all up, and just cooperate with us now"

Mario again did not speak.

"You are just prolonging the inevitable..."

He wasn't even getting to Mario.

"Fine then..." the researcher said, leaving and locking the door behind him.

Neither of the researchers had been successful in any of their attempts to get the subjects to cooperate.

"It looks like we'll have to resort to... Plan B." The resarcher said.

"If that's what it takes... then do it" a female voice spoke behind them.

Ms. Z..." both of the researches said.

Behind them, a beautiful young woman with medium length blonde hair stood. She wore a completely white vest, and a white skirt. Her beige skin, as well as her deep blue eyes, and blonde hair were the only other colors to be found on her.

"If it takes optimal conditions to make them cooperate, then get optimal conditions. I want to test their battle capabilites as soon as possible"

"Yes, Ms. Z. But to do that... we'll need more subjects." one of the researchers told her.

"Fine. You can have them. I'll leave everything to Lady and Sir"

Ms. Z pulled out a cell phone, or rather a device that resembled a cell phone. On it she called Lady and Z, and asked them to come to the sector that she was currently in, and told them that it was urgent.

Lady was the first to arrive, punctual as usual. Lady was also very beauitful, much taller than Ms. Z. She had long pink hair that flowed behind her beautifully. She too had deep blue eyes. She wore a white dress, along with white boots.

Sir was the second to arrive, a little late as always. Sir was handsome, about the same height as Lady. He had blue hair that was short. He wore a completely white shirt, and white pants, with white shoes.

"We're here" they said eerily in unison

"I need you to bring me sixty-four combatants so that we may test the combat capabilities of these four. Offer them whatever you have to, and do whatever you have to. Just bring me sixty-four of them. And do it quickly" Ms. Z told them

With that, she left the room.

"Sixty-Four? That's a lot" Sir complained

"I think it'll be easy"

"The ones I choose, will beat the ones you choose Lady."

"Not that it matters. But the ones I choose will be far superior to the ones you choose"

"Let's have a wager. If someone I choose wins, you have to do whatever I say. If someone you choose wins, I'll have to do what you say. Is it a wager Lady? Or are you not confident enough?"

"Fine."

"And to make it more interesting... let's make it a battle of the sexes. You choose 32 females, and I'll choose 32 males"

"That suits me just fine. It'll make my job much easier" Lady told him "The only problem is, if these subjects weren't cooperative, who is to say the competitors we choose will be?"

"Well these researchers are just incompetent." Sir said condescendingly

"Ms. Z said that we could do whatever it takes.." Lady reminded him. "Why don't we offer them their greatest desires? If they win the competition, we'll give them what they want".

"Sounds good to me. How about you?"

"It was my idea so of course it was good"

"Fine. But I think we should get to work. Don't want to keep Ms. Z waiting" Sir reminded her

"Of course"

The two would have a lot of work ahead of them. They would have to each choose 32 of the best competitors the universe had to offer. And they didn't have much time to do it in.

By Cloud and Squall


	3. Prefic Ganondorf

**One-Third **

The Wind was blowing. It was a dark and sinister wind, that brought nothing but death to the Gueredo People. He had grown to hate that wind... just as he grew to envy the people of Hyrule. Their fields of emerald green, and sparkling blue waters, were a complete paradise. Something the Gueredo people could only dream of.

Envy grew into hatred for Ganondorf Dragmire, king of the Gueredo people. Hatred of the entire hylian race. He had given up hope of ever having green fields, and sparkling blue water. Instead he wished the same darkness upon the people of Hyrule themselves. It was this lack of hope that turned his heart black.

Ganondorf stared at the golden triangle on his hand- the tri-force piece of Power. It was only a third of the whole that he needed. He lacked the tri-force piece of wisdom, held by Princess Zelda of Hyrule. But she was the least of his worries. He was far more worried about the holder of the tri-force piece of course- Link.

Link... how he cringed every time he heard that name. The young boy in a green tunic... the boy who held the key to defeating him- The Sword of Evils' Bane- The Master Sword. That damned sword was the reason the young boy was able to defeat him.

Ganondorf had desired the last two pieces of the tri-force, and the tri-force itself had even wished to be whole. Even if it were at the hands of this dark hearted wizard.

Ganondorf watched the sun rising over death valley. It was a terror for anyone to watch from the hot sands of the Gueredo Valley. For it was when the sun rose, that the heat became even more unbearable.

As the sun was rising, Ganondorf heard a voice.

I can give you what you want

"WHAT!"

I can give you the other pieces of the tri-force... all you need to do...

"Tell me what I have to do!"

Is come with me... if you are able to win this tournament... then I will give you that which you seek

"Nothings that simple!"

It's as simple as that... all you have to do... is win the tournament

"Will a boy... in a green tunic be there?"

Maybe he will, and maybe he won't

"...Fine"

Very well... then come with me

With that said, a dimensional gate opened. Ganondorf did not hesitate to step inside. He knew not what awaited him there, but if it could get him the tri-force he would do anything. Winning a tournament? That would be a piece of cake... so long as a young boy in a green tunic wasn't there, anyways.

By Cloud and Squall


	4. Prefic Sora and Riku

**Double the Chance**

Sora sat on the soft sand of the beach, watching the waves of the crystal clear ocean roll up to him, then retract backwards. The process repeated itself over and over; the only thing that changed was the length of the waves. It was so peaceful being back on Destiny Island, finally being home with his best friends, Riku and Kairi. All three of them had done a lot of growing over the past year. Each of them had learned how to wield their own Keyblade and follow their destiny to destroy Heartless. But it didn't matter how many Heartless they vanquished, as long as there's darkness in everyone's heart, the Heartless themselves will never disappear.

"Will it ever end?" Sora asked himself in a low voice. He couldn't stop gazing into the horizon, wondering what his future held now. After fighting alongside his many friends to take down an organization that didn't exist, his life seemed empty now. Maybe this was normal for most who had such an experience that abruptly ended, but his life of fighting couldn't have been over yet when it just recently begun.

That was the truth. It wasn't over.

All three of the Keybearers would have to continue down their path of saving the many worlds from the Heartless, it was just a matter of time before their next challenge was upon them.

Sora lifted his hand with his palm out, light focused around his hand and the Keyblade materialized out of thin air. He held the Kingdom Key close to his face and looked at it closely, something he hadn't done in a while. What exactly chose him to be a Keybearer? And why were his best friends the next ones to reveal themselves? There were still many questions that needed to be answered.

The sun was near setting; the warm rays beat on Sora, casting a long shadow that stretched over the sand. Though there was something wrong about it. Sora still grasped the Keyblade in his hand and looked over toward the Heartless rising from his shadow. The glowing yellow eyes of the small shadow Heartless glared at Sora for a second, until it began to waddle toward him.

Acting without hesitation, Sora jumped up to his feet and dashed toward the shadow, ending its existence with one slash of his Keyblade. "That can't be all."

It wasn't. Dozens of shadows popped up from the ground in various places, along with some neo-shadows, more threatening and more powerful than the regular shadows. Sora raised his Keyblade and ran into battle.

"Sora!" Riku shouted from his position atop the docks. He quickly jumped down and sprinted toward the fighting, brandishing his Way To The Dawn Keyblade. The two Keybearers met up in the middle of the fray, standing back to back with their Keyblades raised in a defensive position. "It appears the peace couldn't have lasted that long."

"Nope," Sora replied. "These Heartless are weak though, we can finish them off easily." Sora smiled, knowing that Riku was also smiling. They jumped away from each other and started killing the shadows off. After the sun had set and the dark was upon them, all of the shadows were destroyed. That was when a new shadow appeared, but it wasn't a Heartless from what Sora and Riku could tell.

"I could give you what you want."

"And what exactly is that?" Riku asked suspiciously.

"To be rid of the Heartless."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Sora asked this time.

"Follow me," the shadow turned and began to walk.

"Wait!" Sora called after him. "Who are you?"

"And why do you want to help us?" Riku added.

"For my interests. You enter a tournament for me, I get rid of the Heartless for you."

"Think we should trust him?" Sora whispered to Riku.

"It's worth a shot," Riku replied. "Maybe he really can get rid of the Heartless, think about it."

"Yeah… And all we have to do is fight in a tournament, that shouldn't be a big deal," Sora said.

"We'll do it," Riku spoke up.

"Excellent. Follow me."

"What about Kairi?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry about your other friend, she'll be fine here without you guys."

"We've left her here before," Riku said to Sora. "It shouldn't be a problem to leave again, we'll return to her."

"Yeah… Alright," Sora responded. "Let's go then."

The shadow opened a swirling portal in the middle of the beach. "Walk into the portal."

Sora and Riku exchanged a glance before obliging. Sora walked into the portal first, then Riku followed.

By Halo


	5. Prefic Axel

**Got it memorized?**

Axel stepped out of the shadowy portal he had created. He looked around once more at the nothingness that surrounded him. Ever since he had left Organization XIII, this was the majority of his view. But it didn't matter. The World That Never Was wasn't much better. He could live.

He had been searching for Sora for a while now. Only by turning him into a Heartless could he get Roxas back. And getting Roxas back was all that mattered to him now. He was Axel's dearest friend; even though he was a Nobody, Roxas always made Axel feel like he wasn't.

A couple of Nobodies suddenly materialized behind him. Before they could get a good view of the area, however, Axel threw his chakram, destroying both of them. But he knew they wouldn't be the last. He would have to get moving again, before more showed up. Sighing deeply, he opened another portal, intent on continuing his search. Before he could step through, however, his portal closed, and another opened behind him. Axel, startled, entered a battle position, expecting one of his fromer allies to be confronting him.

But it was not a member of Organization XIII that stood before him. This man was clad entirely in white, serving as a contrast to Axel's black cloak.

"Hey, what's the big idea?"

"I have an offer for you, Mr. Axel," the man stated emotionlessly.

"It's just Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

"I represent an organization that's starting a fighting tournament soon. We would like you to join."

"Fighting tournament, eh? Sorry, pal, not interested."

Axel opened another portal, but it was once again closed before he could walk through. He turned to the man, annoyed.

"If you were to win, Mr. Axel, we could grant you your desire…" he said in response to Axel's glare.

"You mean…you could bring back Roxas?" Axel said, curiosity edging into his voice.

"Of course. We could even make both of you whole again. All you have to do is follow me."

As the man said this, he disappeared into a black portal. Axel stared at where he had been in contemplation. After a few minutes he shrugged.

"It's worth a shot."

With that, Axel stepped forward into the portal.

By Oddname


	6. Prefic Bowser

**Another Castle**

Bowser tapped his foot on the floor while sitting on his throne. Yet another of his plans gone awry. No matter how many times he kidnapped Princess Peach, he couldn't get her to marry him. He had thought of asking nicely, but that wasn't his style. Of course it wasn't his fault, or Peach's fault. Peach obviously was in love with him. No it was that STUPID Marios fault. He always got in the way.

"Gah I hate that Mario Twerp. He's always getting in my way"

Nobody was there to listen to him. His darling 7 children were away at camp. It was expensive to send them, but they weren't any help in kidnapping Princess Peach. They'd obviously just get in the way like they always did.

But none of his plans were working. It had looked as if he'd never get to make Peach his wife. Again, it was all Marios fault. Mario was a bully. Everytime Bowser kidnapped Peach, he had to go and play hero.

"Well not this time" Bowser said confidently.

But he wasn't so confident. Over the years Mario had trounced him several times. Of course this wasn't becuase Bowser was incapable of beating Mario or anything. No, it was because Mario was a dirty cheater. Well a dirtier cheater than Bowser. He was obviously a better cheater than Bowser.

But that's not to say Bowser wasn't fair. No he considered himself a fair cheater. A cheater because he was good at it. Just not as good as Mario. Well actually better than Mario, but because he was fair, he wasn't able to be as good. At least that's if you ask Bowser.

I can give you what you want...

This voice was unfamiliar to King Bowser.

"Gwahaha, who let you in?"

You don't want Princess Peach?"

Bowser had to think how to answer that question. But the voice didn't give him time.

I can make sure she is yours. I can make it so Mario cannot interfere with you

"I can Beat Mario on my own! Now beat it!"

But I can give you more power... more power than you ever dreamed of. I can give you the power to make... Peach Love you"

This perked Bowsers ears. To make Peach love him... that was something he desired.

All you have to do is win this tournament...

"Gwahaha is that all?

That is all that you must do

"Gwaha this'll be like taking Candy from a Baby!" Bowser laughed

He had agreed to participate in the tournament. He had no idea of what kind of opponents he might meet. But if he could handle Mario the cheater as well as he had for so many years, what would anybody else be able to do to him? He entered the Dimensional gate, and didn't look back.

By Cloud and Squall


	7. Prefic Sheena

**Clumsy Assassin**

When Lloyd had told her that he wanted her to help him collect all the ex-spheres in the world, she didn't exactly expect to be travelling seperately. Lloyd didn't realize that Sheena wanted to help him, because it would also be a chance for her to get close to him. Of course she did want to help him to achieve his goal, so she didn't say no.

Though the ex-spheres gave them power, it came at too heavy of a price to pay. The lives of other people were worth a lot more than power. To even help prevent the creation of more ex-spheres would be doing a great service to the world.

Sheena had fallen for Lloyd. It might've been his idealism. The way he looked at the world. He may not have been smart, and could't take a hint if his life depended on it. But he had a big heart, which made him a big idealist. He may have just been asking for too much. And maybe she was doing the same, asking him to understand what she really wants without telling him directly.

Sheena picked up another ex-sphere and looked at it long and hard. It wasn't that long ago that she could look at one of them with indifference, but now that she knew the truth, her heart broke every time she saw a new one.

But she had a lot of resolve. She didn't let it get her down, she was going to help Lloyd, even if she couldn't be with him.

"I wonder what Lloyd is doing right now"

She couldn't even begin to answer that question. He was probably collecting ex-spheres any way he could. Of course he may also be sleeping in. Whatever he was doing, she was sure that he was happy doing it.

Sheena was surprised Colette didn't travel with Lloyd. But then again, she had went on a journey of her own. Nobody knew why, but she had got up in the middle of the night, without telling anybody anything. Though Sheena had the feeling Colette felt guilty about not doing her job as the chosen of mana, despite the fact that she had gone even farther to help the world.

Her thoughts had then turned unexpectedly to Zelos. He was probably hitting on every woman in sight about right now. How did he do it... Sheena just couldn't understand. He was nothing like Lloyd. Of course Sheena wouldn't mind if Lloyd would pay attention to her just once in a while. Maybe Zelos could knock some sense into him.

You want to be with him don't you

"Who's there?" Sheena responded to the feminine voice.

It's what you want most in the world don't you?

Sheena paused for a moment thinking. She really did want to be with Lloyd. But that was a selfish thought. She didn't want to be selfish.

"No... what I really want is for the races to all be able to get along. I want everyone to accept everyone else for who they are..." Sheena told her.

You don't want him then?

"No, I do. I really want him. I want him to understand my feelings. But it's what Lloyd wants. He wants the world to accept everyone. It's a great ideal.."

I can make it happen you know

"Now you're sounding like Lloyd."

I have the abilities to make it happen. I have the ability to make it happen... all you have to do... is win this tournament

"Win a tournament?"

Yes. That's all I ask of you. Win, and the races of your world will come to an understanding.

Sheena thought for a moment...

If you choose to accept it, come through this gate

Sheena looked at the ex-spheres she had in the bag. She reluctantly pulled one out.

"I may... need to borrow your power for a little while. Whoever you are, I hope you forgive me. I'm hoping this will help me win this tournament. Maybe then people will accept everyone else... and then maybe nobody else will have to lose their life for an ex-sphere. Please.. forgive me"

With that, she stepped through the gate.

By Cloud and Squall


	8. Prefic Mega Man

**Three Laws**

_My mind is filled with... strange thoughts. I hear voices. Commands. Telling me that I must fight. Fight...for everlasting peace. I'm but a robot. Nothing more, and nothing less. I desire peace. Is it because I'm programmed to do so?_

_No, it's more. It's a lot more than that. I've begun to... feel things. Emotions that a robot should not have. Love. And hate. Neither are emotions a robot like myself should have. But I find myself having them anyway._

_Dr. Wily- he's the bad guy. He's done a lot of bad things. But in the end, it's just robots that get destroyed. Robots aren't supposed to hurt humans... they aren't supposed to indirectly cause harm to humans. But humans... they can hurt robots all they want. Is this... Fair?_

_But Humanity built us... why would we want to hurt them? They're the ones that want to hurt each other. Not us. We're innocent in all of this. They are the ones that hurt other people._

_Why does humanity continue to fight each other? I see the good in some of them, but not in all of them. Not in Dr. Wily. He worked with Dr. Light for a while... the two of them worked side by side... how could they turn out so different?_

_**Don't you think the world should be peaceful?**_

_Of course_

_**You fight for peace... but you never are able to obtain it**_

_I know..._

_**What if I could offer that to you?**_

_For what price? Humans always seem to have a price_

_**All you'd have to do... is win a tournament**_

_A tournament? But I can't hurt humans..._

_**What if the laws did not apply?**_

_I don't know..._

_**If the laws weren't there... and you were doing it for the better good?**_

_Then I guess I could.._

_**Then go through the dimension door**_

Mega Man powered up. He knew robots didn't dream, something had gotten into his coding, and had told him this stuff. And to further prove it, there was a dimensional gate in front of him.

Mega Man looked back. He had to do this. There was no other choice. He ran through the door confidently, knowing that if he could make a difference... he would.

By Cloud and Squall


	9. Prefic Captain Falcon

**Mute City**

A blue racing vehicle zoomed across the track, traveling at breakneck speeds. Its driver sat in his seat, looking forward intently, his eyes focused on the goal. Just as it was nearing the finish line, however, an entirely black vehicle barreled into it, upsetting the course of both racers and nearly sending them into the wall. The driver's eyes narrowed and his grip on the steering wheel tightened, as he expertly maneuvered the craft to capitalize on the momentum of the near-crash. The blue racer just narrowly crossed the finish line first, managing to overcome the difficulties that had been presented to it. The crowd cheered loudly, happy that the crowd favorite had come through after all.

A few minutes later, however, Captain Douglas Jay Falcon was not exactly happy. Once again, his personal rivalries and bounty-hunting career had nearly cost him the race, and his life. It had come to be that every time he left his home, some maniac tried to kill him. But that was the cost of the life he led. He never complained.

Captain Falcon drove his race car, the Blue Falcon, into his much larger transport ship. Exiting his vehicle, he walked through the corridors into the cockpit. Sitting down in the pilot's seat, he turned on his ship and took off for his home, an island chain off the coast of Port Town. There, at least, he had solitude.

As Captain Falcon piloted the larger vessel, his thoughts once again turned to his many rivals. Some of them, like Zoda, came as a result of his racing talents. Some, like Samurai Goroh, were because of his bounty-hunting. And some, like Black Shadow, were due to a little bit of both.

Falcon's ship landed on his property smoothly, as it always did. Captain Falcon walked back through the corridors to the Blue Falcon, where he opened up the cargo bay. Climbing back into his racer, he piloted down out of the ship, and into his parking garage.

When he left the Blue Falcon, however, Captain Falcon was in for a shock. Instead of being alone, as he expected to be, a man dressed entirely in white was in front of him. Startled, he set out to deal a painful uppercut to the man, but the man caught Falcon's hand before he could connect.

"Now, now, Mr. Falcon. Let's be civil here."

The man released Captain Falcon's hand, and he reluctantly withdrew it. Glaring at this intruder, Captain Falcon proceeded to question him in a harsh voice.

"Who are you? Who sent you? What is your mission?"

The man laughed a little at the line of questioning. Crossing his arms, he calmly met Falcon's piercing gaze.

"You may call me Sir, Mr. Falcon. I am here at the request of my superior to invite you to a tournament of fighting ability."

Captain Falcon snorted derisively at the man, before answering him in the same harsh tones.

"Yeah, right. I have way too many enemies for this to be legit. Besides, even if it is, why would I go there and make more? Sorry, I'm not interested."

Captain Falcon turned to leave the garage, but found the man in front of him again.

"You certainly do have quite a lot of rivals, Mr. Falcon. It would certainly be a travesty if all of them were to…disappear…" the man said slyly

Captain Falcon's eyebrow raised as the man said this. Surely he wasn't serious.

"…what's the catch?" he said after a while.

"Well, you have to win, of course. But other than that, no catch. I guarantee it."

Captain Falcon crossed his arms and gave the man a long, hard stare. Eventually, he blinked and let out a breath of air, uncrossing his arms.

"Fine. I'll play your game."

"Excellent. Now, just follow me, Mr. Falcon."

The man turned around and walked straight into a portal that had suddenly appeared there. Captain Falcon, not even hesitating, walked forwards, and disappeared into the portal.

By Oddname


	10. Prefic Gordon and Alyx

**The Freedom of Choice**

"I don't miss Doctor Breen, but I miss his show. Remember when he had the jugglers on?"

"Sometimes... I dream of cheese."

Gordon wondered why the rebel soldiers always talked about the stupidest topics before a battle. There was no talk about battle strategy or making sure they have sufficient supplies, they were talking about... cheese. At least he had Alyx, who was the only real fighter among the group. Gordon himself was just a doctor with a fancy hazard suit. Those rebels had been working in desk jobs before the seven-hour war and the Combine taking control.

But now there was hope. Gordon and Alyx had destroyed the citadel and escaped without injury. The vortigaunts, mysterious alien priests, had saved Gordon from being taken away by the G-Man, who was Gordon's "employer." The vortigaunts had hired Gordon through the G-Man, and once the citadel was destroyed, the G-Man came to collect Gordon for his next job. However, the vortigaunts interfered with their alien voodoo, and rescued Gordon from the G-Man, and teleported Alyx from the exploding citadel to safety.

Gordon was then released into City 17 to finish the job. He had to get out of the city with the rebels before the citadel exploded and destroyed everything. With Alyx and his best friend Barney in tow, they escaped the city and made it to the safety of the forest outskirts of City 17, where they were bombarded with a new threat, the mini-hunters.

"Sorry, Doctor Freeman!" said a soldier who had gotten in the way of Gordon.

Those soldiers were always too polite. Did they take manner class or something? Why was Gordon thinking about this? They were expecting to be attacked by the mini-hunters, shouldn't he be preparing? Why was he thinking about what he was thinking about?

Suddenly, there was an explosion. A charred body of a rebel soldier flew over the barricade in the small building the rebels had secured. The shrill cry of the rebel hunters roared across the dense forest. Freeman was the first to look over the barrier, and saw Alyx doing the same in the barrier next to him. The both looked around but did not see anything that could have thrown the body over the barrier like that. They shrugged at each other, and another rebel popped his head up.

BAM! Like that, the rebel took a bullet in the eye. A mini-hunter had dropped down from the ceiling. They were good at stealth in closed places, their fleshy legs, flexible legs were a huge advantage in tight quarters, they seemed to have a flowing motion as they walked.

Gordon and Alyx got down. Gordon threw a grenade over his soldier, but heard no death cry from the mini-hunter. He cursed and signaled for the three rebels under his command to go around the barrier and try taking it out. He quickly followed. When they got out, the realized that the Hunter had disappeared again. Alyx soon came out from behind her barrier, and the two squads joined up.

"Did any of you see it?" she asked.

"..."

"Why don't you ever answer me, Gor-"

the cry of a strider. Things had just become dangerous. The fear-filled looks of the rebels were evident, they didn't have very good game faces. Alyx got out her shotgun, and Gordon puller out his pulse rifle. Suddenly, the Mini-hunter dropped down from the other side of the door, entered, and started picking off rebels. Alyx managed to injure it's legs, and they ran for it.

As they ran through the forest, both of them heard the death cries of several striders and mini-hunters. They also noticed that every time they look away, another rebel was missing. Soon, it was down to just Gordon and Alyx. Obviously something more powerful was picking off everything that moved.

"Do you think it's the zombies? Maybe some zombines?" asked Alyx.

"No, they aren't smart enough to be doing this, and the Striders usually have no trouble with them. There's something more powerful at work here." replied Gordon.

"Wow, that's the most you've ever said!"

Suddenly, Gordon stopped. He looked horrified. He pointed up to a tree where the G-Man was standing with his usual, calm look. He jumped down from the tree, but instead of falling, floated slowly down to the ground.

"Good evening, misssster Freeman. Did you real think that you could escape?" He straightened his tie and walked over to the pair. "And good evening to you, misss Vance. I believe we have met before, but" he grasped for air. He seemed to have trouble with the english language. "Never face to face."

"Gordon, who is–"

"What the hell do you want?" asked Gordon. When it came to the G-Man, nothing mattered but escape.

"I've received a rather... interesting offer for your services. It's that time again, Mister Freeman. But this time, you will be offered the freedom of choice. Same with you, Miss Vance. Say no, and I will be gone."

"Fine, I'm listening. But if I say no, then there's no stalking me wherever I go like usual."

"Of course not, you have escaped my... employment... I commend you for that. This is my offer: A mysterious man requests your presence in a... tournament of champions. A woman has requested Miss Vance in a tournament of heroines. If you win, they will grant you whatever you want, and with the two of you there, you will have double the chance."

"They can free us of the combine!" Alyx whispered to Gordon. "We have nothing to lose, let's just go!"

"You don't know how this man works," replied Gordon, "It could be a trap. He could be leading me to my doom fro escaping him."

"But why would he want me?"

Gordon paused. This was a good point, the G-Man didn't have anything to do with Alyx. Plus, she was right, they really didn't have anything to lose, and this could very well be the solution to the problem with the combine, and maybe even the headcrabs and antlions. He could wish all the alien forces off of earth forever.

"Fine, I'll go." said Gordon, but without letting his guard down.

"Me too." Alyx said firmly.

"Right this way, then." the G-Man quivered in his eerie voice. He opened up a door in thin air, and stepped through it. Alyx and Gordon followed. The door disappeared behind them.

_This **cheese**-related fanfiction is a stub. You can **help** Zen by **expanding it.**_

By ZenOfThunder


	11. Prefic Celes

**World of Ruin**

The sun shone brightly down upon the broken world. It had been years since Kefka had rained death from the sky, and they still had not truly recovered. The birds sang a little more sweetly, and the grass grew a little greener, but it was still a far way off from the beauty of the World of Balance.

And it was this that was weighing heavily on Celes Chere's mind. A few hours ago, a small piece of paper had somehow found its way onto her lap. Upon looking at it, she found that it was an invitation to a tournament. A tournament of fighting ability.

Ever since Celes and her friends had destroyed Kefka, the need to fight had been virtually nonexistent. She couldn't even remember the last time she had picked up a sword. That made the choice easy: of course she wouldn't attend some fighting tournament. She wanted no part of battles anymore.

She glanced at the letter again, hoping that this time she would find something that would make it simpler. But she was disappointed once again as she read every word:

"Dear Miss Chere

Greetings to you. I am sure you are a busy woman, so I will get right to the point of this letter. I represent an organization that has heard of your great skills on the field of battle. We are starting a tournament of some of the greatest fighters that have ever existed, and we would be honored if you were to attend. We understand that you have long since stopped fighting, but this tournament is not without a prize. We are quite a large organization, and it is not beyond our ability to help your world become what it once was. If you were to win, we would pledge these vast resources towards helping you and your people. Please consider our offer.

Sincerely,

Lady

It was the last part that made the decision so hard. The group that was organizing this tournament claimed to have far-reaching influences, and promised to help restore her world if she won. And that restoration of her world was what she wanted more than anything.

Celes stood up and walked over to a chest. Opening it, she pulled out her Runic Blade. She looked at it for a long time, giving it a practice swing or two, watching it reflect the sun. Eventually, she sighed, a deep, sorrowful sigh.

"Why is it always fighting?" she said sadly.

Celes put down the Runic Blade took another item out of the chest; a set of armor that she had worn in the final battle. Sighing once again, she put it on. It fit just as well as it had the last time. Picking up her sword, she turned around and walked to her door. As she looked out across her world one last time, a portal appeared in front of her. Its purpose obvious, she whispered a few more words as she stepped into it.

"I hope I made the right choice…"

By Oddname


	12. Prefic Kerrigan

**World of Starcraft**

Sarah Kerrigan was happy. She had been happy for quite some time. After all, what was there not to be happy about? She had gotten her revenge on all those who had wronged her. She had manipulated everyone into doing exactly what she wanted them to do. She had gotten the new Overmind destroyed and become Queen of the Zerg. And those pathetic Terran and Protoss were all but destroyed. Everything was going her way. She was, as she herself had put it, "the Queen of the Universe."

And yet…something seemed off. Kerrigan frowned, looking around her throne world of Char. Her Zerg minions were busy at work, making her empire more powerful, and creating more soldiers for her already impressive army. This should have satisfied her…but it didn't. Why?

Kerrigan turned around and walked a few steps. Was it the quiet that followed her victory that unsettled her? She derived great amounts of pleasure from squeezing the life out of her enemies. She smiled again briefly as she thought of some of her more satisfying kills, but it quickly reverted back to a frown.

All of her enemies were gone, crushed under the might of her armies. There was still a scattered few Protoss and Terran armies, and some personal foes like Raynor, Artanis, and Zeratul, but that was it. It wasn't worth the time and energy to track them down. She had been a little too efficient, in her efforts, it would seem.

Kerrigan sat down on her throne and sighed. That nagging feeling of being unfulfilled was still there, and it seemed like it wouldn't be going away anytime soon. A longing for battle seemed likely, but how would she sate that? She could fight her own Zerg, but that would be unsatisfying, considering the degree to which she controlled them.

Lost in her musings, she didn't immediately notice the piece of paper that somehow appeared near her. Eventually, though, it caught her eye. Picking it up with one of the claws that sprouted from her back, she put it into her normal hands and read the words written upon it.

"Dear Miss Kerrigan,

Greetings, Mighty Empress of the Zerg Swarm. I represent an organization which has heard of your great power and strength. We are starting a tournament that gathers some of the greatest fighters that have ever existed. If you were to compete, it would be a great honor to us. This would be a great opportunity to test your ability against others of impressive power. It would also be an ideal place to find new DNA strands for your Zerg, as many species not native to your home will be competing. Please consider our offer.

Sincerely,

Lady"

Kerrigan smiled as she read every word of the letter. This was exactly what she had been looking for; a chance to end the life of a worthy adversary. It would certainly provide an adequate distraction until someone else challenged her. Standing up, she started to give an order for her ship to be prepared, when a portal appeared in front of her. Startled at first, she smirked as she began to walk forward, into the portal.

"Impressive. This ought to be rather…fun."

By Oddname


	13. Prefic The Boss

1**The Joy**

Retrieving the Legacy for the Patriots was only the first part of her mission. While it was difficult to obtain, it was not the hardest part of her mission. The hardest part was to die at the hands of her pupil. To die at the hands of a man who she considered a son... or maybe even something more. To die at the hands of Naked Snake...

Even though it was her mission, she would not throw the fight to him. She would make sure he killed her on his skills alone. Doing otherwise would only be an insult to him. If she were to die at his hands, he'd have to do it with his own skills. The very skills she had taught him.

Where would he go after this mission? He'd go on to be a hero, but what then? What would become of him. This was weighting heavily on her mind. She was worried he wasn't ready. She already had to save him on a couple of occasions, even though she was fighting against him. But at the same time, he was competent enough to continue his mission unhindered. Perhaps he really was the best man for the job.

The Joy... that's what they called her. That's the emotion she normally brought into battle. All of the cobras were given names based on what emotions they brought to the battlefield. The Fear, The Fury, The Pain, and The End, they were her team. But Naked Snake was different... he couldn't find what emotion he brought into battle. But perhaps it was Resolve... Something nobody else was able to bring.

He had beaten them all, and he had done so legitimately. They none knew the true plans of everything. For a moment, she regretted bringing them into this. They could've easily lived long happy lives. But no... that would've done them no justice. They were meant to die in battle, just like she was. And just like Naked Snake probably would. To die anyother way would be dishonorable.

She had been able to kill "The Sorrow" because it was part of her mission. Despite the fact that she had loved him very much. The two were pretty much opposites. But she had completed her mission. That's why she was "The Boss".

You wish to see him again don't you

The feminine voice echoed in the mind of the boss.

You are a great warrior. You have only one want do you not? To see The Sorrow again

The Boss thought she was hearing things for a moment...

I can make that happen you know. I can make you see him again. I have that power

"He's dead"

I know that. That's why you need me. I need you for your abilities. And you need me so that you may see The Sorrow again

"And what do you need me to do?"

I need you to participate in a tournament. If you were to win, you would be able to see him one last time before you die

The Boss desperately wanted this. There was nothing more that she wanted. But she was on a mission... she couldn't merely abbandon it.

Do not worry about the here and now. Everything will happen as it should. You are needed... but the choice is up to you. I shall leave the Dimensional gate open for you.

A gate appeared in front of her. A heavy question weighted on The Boss's mind. This was the one thing she wanted more than anything. All she'd have to do is win a simple tournament. She was one of the greatest soldiers of all time. But the choice wasn't as simple as that for her.

She walked up to the dimensional gate. She paused for a moment, and looked back.

"I'll return someday..."

and thus she stepped through, ready to begin something new. This would all wait for her. At least according to the voice it would.

By Cloud and Squall


	14. Prefic Phoenix Wright

**Justice For All**

A glass lamp. A clock shaped like The Thinker. A wiretap.

A glass lamp. A clock shaped like The Thinker. A wiretap.

A lamp. A clock. A wiretap.

A lamp. A clock. A wiretap.

A lamp. A clock. A wiretap.

Mia...

A lamp. A clock. A wiretap.

A lamp. A clock. A wiretap.

These three objects taunted Phoenix. They laughed. They ran circles around his head screaming "Phoenix is a crappy lawyer! He knows Redd murdered Mia, but he doesn't know how! He'll never get Maya out of jail! What a loser! Hahaha!"

Phoenix laid back in his chair. He looked through photos of Mia's office. That glass lamp... it was broken. He had the receipt for it, and on the back it read "Maya." He knew that this could help if he could get Redd to say the wrong thing come the trial, but it could be difficult. Edgeworth was one hell of a prosecutor, and has been in the business much longer than he had.

The novice lawyer tried to clear his head. He had nobody now. No Mia to back him up. He remembered back to his first case where Mia would whisper advice to him. That's how he got his best friend Larry Butz declared innocent. Now it was Mia's little sister Maya. How could he pull this one off?

His thoughts went back to Redd. He had admitted that he had killed Mia, but he had dirt on every judge, lawyer, prosecutor... everybody. Just because he had money, he was getting away with breaking the law!

All of Wright's troubles were closing in on him. It was becoming a bit claustrophobic. He though of how he had found the files marked "suicide" in Mia's office, how he presented these to Redd, and how the corrupted megalomaniac told him that he would be testifying against him instead of Maya tomorrow! It was too much.

The spot where Redd had hit him began to hurt. Redd may dress in pink suits and have purple hair, but he was no pansy. Those huge rings on his fingers didn't help either. Phoenix glanced over at the clock. It was 2 AM. He needed sleep for the trial the next day. He went to his bed and closed his eyes. For Phoenix, sleep would not come that night.

A lamp. A clock. A wiretap.

A lamp. A clock. A wiretap.

A lamp. A clock. A wiretap.

It was around 4 when Phoenix decided that sleep would not be important. He wandered over to his desk. Everything he had thought about before crashed into him like a huge tidal wave. He was angry and upset at the world. Just because somebody has lots of money doesn't mean they can get away with murder! All those people that Redd had driven to suicide! Phoenix wished that justice would always prevail. He wished that this would never happen to anybody else. He wished hard. Somebody was listening to that wish.

The phone rang. Phoenix found it odd that somebody would call his office at such an hour. Had gumshoe made a breakthrough on the case?

He picked up the phone hurriedly

"Justice... is that what you want?" said a cold, deep, somewhat mysterious voice at the other end of the line.

Phoenix paused for a moment. Who was this? Was this person spying on him? How did he know what he was thinking about at that exact moment in time?

"Don't worry, Mr. Wright. I'm not spying on you. I'm lightyears away from you. In another dimension in fact. However, I am reading your mind..."

Another dimension? Was this guy looney? But how else would mind reading be explained?

"Mr. Wright," the voice continued, "justice may be a lost cause in your dimension, but I have an offer to ensure that justice will always prevail. Justice for all! A perfect dimension, don't you think? No need to speak, Mr. Wright, I'm listening to your every thought."

Justice for all? This guy couldn't be serious. But for some reason, Phoenix knew that this guy was telling the truth. If he could read minds, if there were other dimensions, then certainly there must be a being of great power that can give him whatever he wants.

"So, I'm sure you'll be happy to except my offer. A tournament of heroes! A showdown of every dimension's finest! A dream come true for the winner. A simple 5 victories and you will be granted your utmost desire. Are you in?"

Phoenix didn't need to think further. He could get Redd, save Maya, and ensures such a horrible occurrence such as this will never happen again in the world. He didn't care if he died doing it. He opened his mouth to give a confirmation, then closed it, remembering it wasn't necessary.

"Then hold on tight, Mr. Wright!"

There was a flash of light, and Phoenix's office was soon left empty and colder than before.

By ZenOfThunder


	15. Prefic CATS

**O Captain, My Captain**

It was the year 2101 AD. War was beginning. A large military Zig carrier was hovering through sector gamma 12, patrolling for survivors of the great Zig massacre.

"It is terrible. As for the soldier where these are poor... as for the commander of very powerful anti-zig it was it is here. Their lives which protect their planets... the soldier where those which are lost are poor." said the commander to his mechanic and operator.

"It is, that is fearful. We find the survivor and must keep accompanying in the basis. At mean time, as for us our eyes the skin must be peeled because outside anti-zigs all." said the operator.

"If we do not obtain the fuel, we open in the fire of adfirt and the enemy which are placed. There is a month when it is not distant from here." the Mechanic informed.

"For great justice!" the three said I unison. They headed towards the nearest moon to get fuel and supplies. There was a Starbucks and a Shell gas station on nearly every planet.

They pulled their 500 feet long, 200 feet high craft into the gas station.

"Fill up that on the regular." said the Captain to the attendant. Because they landed on the moon of the planet New Jersey, the gas station didn't make you fill it up yourself. This allowed the three to go to Starbucks. They sat down at the table nearest the window and started to talk about their wives and kids. That when Mechanic, who was the only one facing the door, told the men to get down.

"CATS walked exactly! The burglar who is you think of that?" the Mechanic panicked.

"CATS? Calling you obtain, as for him there is no burglar of small time." said the Captain. He glanced out the window and saw CATS's huge ship parked next to theirs at the station.

Suddenly, CATS came to their table and sat next to the Mechanic and across from the Captain. He waved at them and motioned for them to get up. They all took their seats and CATS started babbling in his usual engrish that nobody could understand.

"How are you gentlemen?" he asked.

"Quite fine, thank you." replied the Operator. The Captain slapped him.

"Err, I mean... Considerably, good, thank you for." He looked over to the Captain, who gave him a nod of approval.

"I will fight in tournament far away by travel. All your base will be soon belong to us when I get prize by winning. The bomb will be set up when I come back from having made instant win."

"What you say?" the Captain exclaimed.

"I'm going to a tournament to win all your base, so I'll set you guys up the bomb later. Bye."

With that, CATS walked out. The Captain watched as he loaded some groceries into a small Anti-Zig fighter from his carrier, and a man in white came and they talked for a short while. The man in white disappeared, and CATS boarded his ship, and took of with a flash of light.

The three men looked at each other, stunned.

At last, the captain spoke:

"What the ."

By ZenOfThunder


	16. Prefic Vincent Valentine

1**Chaos**

"The sins I have committed are too great. I alllowed an innocent unborn child to be experimented on by it's own parents. I was powerless to stop them, and because of that, their son was never able to know love. Sephiroth was a victim in all of this. His father Dr. Hojo of the Shinra had wanted his son to live his own dreams of becomming the most powerful in the world. Hojo was insane enough to do experiments on his own child. I was unable to stop him though, and thus must share in his sin.

Sephiroth, you were never given the chance to lead a normal life. You were created for greatness, and you attained it. But you were never able to experience the human emotions that we all need so much. You were never nurtured by your own mother, who because I was unable to stop her, was never allowed to see you herself. It was all my fault.

I wanted to apologize to you for what happened, but I was never given that chance. Because I couldn't stop them, I was given a fitting punishment for my sins. You would later discover what happened to you, and would go insane. I don't blame you for what you did. I blame myself. I could've stopped it all, but I didn't.

I hope you are able to forgive me for what has happened. Though I guess I shouldn't expect you to. Not after I chose to fight against you. But by that point... you were no longer human. I couldn't allow the lives of many to be lost. That would be... an even greater sin.

You should've been given the chance to grow up and live a normal life. Nobody should have had the right to decide what you would do. You were never given the chance to make your own dreams. This is something that everyone should have. This is something that was taken from you. It is the reason you became what you did.

Things could've been so different if I had stopped them. You would've never turned out the way you did. You would've lived a normal happy life. I don't think Hojo realized what he was doing at the time though. Shinra Scientists typically don't think of the consequences of their own actions. It was no different with Hojo. It might've been different with Dr. Gast, but I suspect you know that.

I did not do everything in my power to stop you from being experimented on. It is because of this, that the burden I bare is so heavy. You never deserved this fate. You deserved to live a happy life. Lucrecia deserved to be with her son. You should've been so much more than an expirement.

The day you snapped in Niblehiem.. that was the day you learned the truth about everything. The blame cannot be placed solely on you. But on myself, and Hojo as well. We allowed things to come to this. But it never should've happened.

I never got the chance to say I'm sorry. So I'm doing it now. And I just hope you're able to hear it somehow. If only things were different... maybe you could've even considered me a father figure. I regret that I was unable to stop them. Know that the guilt will always be with me, no matter what.

Sincerely,

Vincent Valentine"

As Vincent finished his letter, he turned around to see someone standing behind him.

"Hello Mr. Valentine"

"Who are you?" Vincent demanded to know.

"I am Sir. I've come to invite you to a tournament"

"My sins already weight too heavily on me. I'll have to decline"

"I thought you might say that. It's a pity really... that you would pass up the chance for Redemption"

"I have received my punishment" Vincent told him

"Would you not do anything to stop another "Sephiroth" from happening"

"Are you saying..."

"Yes I am Mr. Valentine. I'm saying that it can all happen. If you win this tournament, I can make it happen"

Vincent remember back on the day that he wasn't able to stop Lucrecia and Hojo. He remembered vowing to never let that happen again, no matter what.

"A tournament huh? If I don't try, I'll regret if. Fine I accept your invitation"

"Then just follow me"

Vincent never even looked back as he entered the dimensional gate.

By Cloud and Squall


	17. Prefic Zero

**This is What I'm Fighting For**

DESTROY. KILL. DESTROY. MURDER. DESTROY. DESTROY. DESTROY. KILL. MURDER. KILL. DESTROY. DESTROY. MURDER. KILL. DESTROY. DESTROY. DESTROY. MURDER. KILL.

These were the only thoughts ravaging through Zeros head. He had lost all ability to have any rational thought. The virus had taken that away from him.

KILL. KILL. KILL. MURDER. DESTROY. DESTROY. KILL.

The violent influences of the virus that could turn any reploid into a maverick, were too strong for any to overcome. Deep inside however, Zero still existed somehow. Zero still felt the things he had felt when he wasnt' a maverick. Inside he was begging for the mercifull release of death.

MURDER. MURDER. MURDER. KILL. DESTROY. DESTROY.

Zero wanted to taste death now, more than anything else. The things he could do... the things he would do if he weren't stopped... he could not live knowing he did those things, even if it were under the influence of the virus.

DESTROY. DESTROY. MURDER. KILL. MURDER. DESTROY

While it were still possible to get rid of the virus in his current condition, if it were to go on much longer, it would ultimately destroy him. There was nothing he could do but wait.

KILL. DESTROY. DESTROY. MURDER. MURDER. KILL.

The code ran within his databanks. It was telling him to do things that he did not want to do. It took away any free will he had. He would soon become a maverick, and do unthinkable things to other reploids, and to humans. He wouldn't do so of his own choice, but because of the virus itself.

MURDER. MURDER. MURDER. KILL. KILL. DESTROY. MURDER

The virus was made specifically to make a reploid stronger. It also took away the free will of the reploid. This was not simply an aftereffect, but the main reason for the virus. It was created with that single purpose. Making the reploids stronger was just part of that purpose.

MURDER... KIll... DeStROy... Ki_ll_...

The code was slowly vanishing from Zeros system. Why was this happeneing... Why was the virus letting go? Was it the work of Dr. Cain? Was it the sweet release of death Zero had been wishing for? Or was it something else?

KILL DestROy muRDeR mURDEr _kill destro_ Zero. Your name is Zero isn't it?

This was something new for Zero. Something he had never experienced before.

"Yes. I am Zero"

**You want to be rid of the virus don't you?**

"Yes."

**I can help you... you can help me... we can work together**

"Together?"

**Yes. There is a tournament. One with people from all over the universe. If you were to participate and win, I would be able to get rid of the virus forever.**

Was this just another part of the code of the virus? Or was it real?

"How do I know you're not lying?"

**You'll just have to trust me for now Zero.**

It seemed as if he really did have no choice.

**Step through the gate zero. Step through, and you'll be well on your way to being rid of the virus forever**

Even if it were a part of the viral code... Zero had no other choice. If it were the wrong one, he'd accept defeat. But he had to take the chance to make the world safe for reploids again.

By Cloud and Squall


	18. Prefic Master Chief and Cortana

**Wort Wort Wort**

It was a pleasure to destroy. A pleasure to kill alien. A pleasure to lead troops into battle against the biggest threat to humanity ever known: The Covenant. Day after day, he would be sent to Earth to eliminate a threat. When the army discovered Halo, an ancient alien artifact, they destroyed that too. And then they destroyed a second Halo, and got a map to the other Halos. They continued to destroy, burn, and blew up every alien they came across. There was death in great numbers, an amazing loss, in this never-ending war. And you know what? Master Chief enjoyed it.

"Chief, to your left!" said Cortana, the AI in Master Chief's suit. Master Chief quickly pulled out his energy sword, turned around, and growled at the two grunts trying to sneak up on him.

"Boo." he said. The grunts screamed, dropped their weapons, and ran. Chief put away his energy sword to save energy, and took his Battle Rifle back out. He quickly scanned the area.

The Halo he was on was just like Earth. It had the same makeup of Earth's soil, the same water, then same air... But it was a deadly weapon. When activated, Halo could destroy planets in the blink of an eye. Master Chief knew that the defense set up in Earth's atmosphere can prevent full-scale invasion, but it would so nothing against something with the power of Halo.

The Chief was currently on a mission to destroy the activation system of this Halo. That would be difficult, because out in the middle of space, there was little backup and limited supplies, and the Covenant were going at him in full force. Thanks to his "alterations" and power suit, the chief was able to go for days without food or rest. He had made his way to the inside of the Halo power center, when he realized that something wasn't right: there wasn't any Covenant guarding it. He had walked a few miles of hallway to a locked door.

"Cortana: Analysis." the Chief commanded his AI.

"The Flood. There's no other reason that the Covenant wouldn't send troops. They know that they would lose too many men if they tried to exterminate both you and the Flood, and they're hoping that they will take you out. They still have enough Halos to lose this one, I guess." the AI responded.

The Flood was an alien parasite that fed off of anything with a pulse. Chief knew that if they ever got to Earth, there would be no stopping them. They were more of a threat than the Halos and the Covenant combined.

"I'm going in." the Chief said as he reloaded. He put his hand on the door, and Cortana unlocked it. He ran in and readied his gun as he looked around. Nothing.

He carefully stepped forward.

"Cortana, can you do a scan of this sector?" asked the Chief.

Cortana did a quick sweep of the facility. The results: nothing.

"How can that be..." she thought to herself. No Covenant, no Flood..."

Suddenly, the door closed and locked behind them. Master Chief ran over to it and tried to open it. Cortana tried as well. No good.

Suddenly, there was a flash, and a man in white appeared.

"Master Chief" he said in his cold, dark voice. "I've been expecting you..."

"Identify yourself!" commanded the Chief.

"I am a messenger. My master has commanded me to come to your dimension and request your presence in a tournament. Win, you get whatever you desire. There are no drawbacks of losing... Except maybe death, if you aren't prepared."

"So you want me in this tournament? And if I win..." the Chief did not let his guard down, "you can destroy the Flood? Impossible."

"Oh, really?" The man in white snapped his fingers, and a swarm of Flood zombies appeared around the Chief, and his rifle and sword vanished. One zombie jumped for him, and the chief rolled in the newly created gap and turned around. Around 30 of them and no weapon.

The man snapped his fingers again and the Flood exploded into green goop. The Chief turned to the man, and watched him for a second. He then spoke:

"I need a weapon."

The man in white smiled, and opened up a door in thin air. The Chief was walking through the door when the man stopped him.

"I almost forgot," he spoke, "I need your suit AI. My master, Sir, requested you, Master Chief, and my other master, Lady, requested you, Cortana."

The Chief thought about the repercussions of this: Cortana was what made him a killing machine. Without her, he'd still be an effective supersoldier, but he's be vulnerable to sneak attacks and not have the ability to analyze weak points he could attack for massive damage.

Cortana spoke: "Just let me go, chief. We'll have double the chance this way."

The Chief complied and removed the AI's disc from his helmet and handed it to the man.

"Excellent..." the man in white smiled. Well, off we go.

They stepped into the portal, and were gone.

By ZenOfThunder


	19. Prefic Jill Valentine

**The Missing**

"We've been unable to locate Leon Kennedy. We've had no luck locating Claire either. Ada Wong has gone missing as well. I don' t know what the hell is happening Jill. But somethings up"

"You've got that right Barry" Jill hesitated. "Chris might know where Claire is. But he told us not to contact him"

"That's understandable. If Chris's location was discovered by anybody, even Claire, it might put him in danger"

"How about Albert Wesker? Any intelligence on him?" Jill asked her colleague.

"That's the strange thing. We know exactly where Wesker is. "

"We have no trouble finding a person we normally have trouble finding, but when it comes to people who we are supposed to know where they are, we don't. I think Wesker is up to something Barry. I just don't know what."

"Damn Umbrealla Corporation. All they do is cause trouble. If it weren't for them..."

"Barry, can you locate Rebecca Chambers?"

"Yeah, she's not missing either. Maybe w'ere jumping the gun this time?"

"I don't think so... something is up. We just have to find out what"

Jill paused for another moment.

"I need you to do some recon for me. Don't put yourself in danger though. But I need you to find out if Wesker is really up to something"

"You got it Jill"

Barry loaded his gun, and headed out of the police station. There wasn't much left of Racoon City, but if he would run into Wesker, he'd certainly need the weapon.

Jill sat alone in the police station as the clock neared midnight. Barry had been gone for a good hour or two. She was starting to wonder when he'd get back. The coffee she had started to lose it's taste. She was startled when she heard the door open. She was even more startled to see a woman standing before her, wearing nothing but white.

"Can I help you?" Jill asked.

The woman nodded.

It was strange to see someone else in Raccoon city. The place was supposed to be deserted.

"I've come with an Invitation Ms. Valentine. I've come to invite you to a Tournament, with 64 of the best fighters in the world"

"And why would I want to be involved in something like that?"

"Because if you were to win the tournament, we could use our influence to get rid of Umbrella once and for all"

"Ha! I'd like to see that"

"We have the abilities Ms. Valentine. I can promise you that. If you can win the tournament, we will hold up to our end of the bargain."

"Fine I'll join your little tournament. Where is it?"

"Right this way" the woman said.

A dimensional gate opened up, and Jill was astonished by what this might mean. Someone with these kind of powers... unworldly powers... might just be able to get rid of umbrella after all. She was convinced that it would be in her best interests to participate. She walked through the gate, and never looked back.

By Cloud and Squall


	20. Prefic Alucard

**A Miserable Pile of Secrets**

Alucard stood out on the darkened street, looking at the Hakuba Shrine, just as he had done for over a year now. After all, it was just last year that his father had almost returned, the castle that was imprisoned here almost freed. It was only through guiding Soma Cruz that Alucard had been able to prevent it.

But that was not it. Just a few short months ago, Dracula nearly rose again, and it was once again thanks to his and Soma's efforts that it was just barely prevented. But he knew that they had not heard the last of Dracula. It would seem that his cursed father would always return, just as there would always be Alucard and the Belmonts to stop him.

He couldn't keep going forever, though. For over 6oo years Alucard had been fighting his father, and it was beginning to show. He was tired, very tired. But he owed it to the world to prevent anyone of the evil blood that ran in his veins from ever causing humans any harm.

Alucard turned his back to the shrine and closed his eyes. 6 centuries of this eternal battle, without a single break…could he keep it up much longer? And could the Belmonts do this by themselves? Many had done so without his help, but many had also accepted his help. And Alucard did not believe that they could eternally do this without him.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice when a man appeared behind him. It took spoken words to finally jolt Alucard from his contemplation.

"Hello there, Mr. Tepes."

Alucard turned to look at this man, startled and angry. At first he feared the worst; no one called him his real name besides his father. But one look at this man made it obvious that it was not his father. Clad entirely in white, he was almost the exact opposite of Dracula.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"You may call me Sir," the man stated calmly, "And I am here with an invitation. I represent an organization that is hosting a fighting tournament soon. And you have been selected to participate."

"Sir? Well, my apologies, Sir, but I have no wish to participate in your tournament."

Alucard started to walk away, but something the man said caught his attention.

"Are you sure about that, Mr. Tepes? We are quite a powerful organization. More powerful, than, say…your father."

Alucard turned to face the man again, a mixture of curiosity and bemusement on his face.

"Are you suggesting that if I enter this little tournament of yours, you'll deal with Dracula?"

"Well, you'll have to win, of course…but yes. That is exactly what I'm suggesting."

The man abruptly turned around and walked forward. Before he could get more than a few, steps however, a portal opened directly in front of him, and he disappeared inside of it. Alucard walked up to this portal and stared inside, his chin resting upon his hand.

"…why not?" he said at last.

And with that, the son of Dracula entered the portal.

By Oddname


	21. Prefic Lara Croft

**Legend**

"Mother!" Lara ran to the portal of light that had opened up in the middle of the dais. She had revived Excalibur and defeated the evil Amanda and the demon that had possessed her. "Mother!" she screamed at the portal. She realized that she wasn't seeing her mother now, but years ago before she dissapeared. She had to stop her mother from removing the dormant Excalibur from the dais.

"Mother! It's you!" she said through the portal.

"Lara?" said her Mother.

"Yes, mommy?" came from her mother's side. It was the young Lara, who wasn't paying much attention to the portal or her mother.

"Nothing, dear" she said to her daughter. She turned to the portal once more. "What is going on?"

Before Lara could explain about the sword and the dais, Amanda got up and ran to the portal.

"Quickly, remove the sword or the dais will collapse!"

Lara angrily shoved aside Amanda and knocked her out, but it was too late. Lara's mother removed the sword and was sucked into Avalon. What Lara had tried to prevent had happened. She wanted to kill Amanda. She wanted her to suffer. She picked up Excalibur and charged at her. Suddenly, a woman in white dress with flowing, pink hair appeared in front of her. Lara stopped.

"What the hell" the muttered. She readied Excalibur, but the woman flicked it away with a simple wave. Lara reached for her guns, but they were no longer there. It was the same with her grappling hook and radio. She stepped back a bit.

"Do not be alarmed, child. I will not hurt you. I am Lady, and I'm here to propose and offer you cannot refuse. Would you like to see your mother again?"

Lara was still. How could this woman bring her mother back from Avalon?

"A tournament!" said Lady, "A tournament of heroines! Win, and I will grant you one wish! How could you refuse?"

"My mother? You have access to Avalon?" asked Lara.

Lady snapped her fingers and opened up a portal. Lara looked through it, and saw her mother sleeping.

"Mother!" she exclaimed.

The portal closed.

Lara didn't both thinking it through. "I'll do it." she stated firmly. Lady laughed, and opened up a door out of thin air. She motioned to it, and Lara walked through.

"Achoo!" sneeze Lady. "I better not have been getting a cold from the place. It's really cold in here..." she said to herself as she walked through the portal.

By ZenOfThunder


	22. Prefic Nidoran F

**Mmmm, boobies.**

"Achoo!" Lady sneezed into her 78th tissue. She was feeling sick after visiting Mt. Everest to retrieve Ms. Croft for her 32 people. She needed to pick up the pace and get the rest of her competitors, but couldn't muster up the strength to do it. She rang the bell above her bed and requested a pen and paper. She scribbled something down and called in Michael, the butler. Michael was 16, underweight, was too skinny for his own good, and had a creepy interest in young women. Very young.

"Yes, mah lady?" he asked with his odd accent. He had been born in the "Troll Land." He liked to "study" girls. "What can I do for j00?" He couldn't stop his eyes from wandering down to her chest area. Lady threw the pen at him. It went through his eye. "Yay, no I can be teh pirate!" Michael wiped up the blood and put on an eyepatch that he just happened to be in his pocket.

"You ing idiot. Get your pedo ass down to the world of Kanto and pick out a female trainer for my 32. Make her strong and wise. I have Sabrina in mind, from the city of Saffron in mind, but if you see anybody better, pick them. Now I only have one chance to enter this world and I'm giving it to you, and whoever you bring back becomes part of my side. So don't screw this up or you'll lose something much more precious than your eyesite."

"Shouldn't you be sneezing?"

"Oh yeah... ACHOO! Happy? Now get out of my sight and get down to Kanto!" She threw him the coordinates she had written down.

Michael grumbled as he went down the hall to the portal room. He greeted others as he made his way down the hall. He passed many other servants who all spat at him. He resisted the urge to talk about how he broke a g-string while fingering a-minor.

He arrived at the portal and put in the coordinates. He was ing to himself about how he had to do it. He stepped through and hovered over the Kanto area. He tried to spot a suitable trainer. He went over to the Saffron gym and eyes Sabrina. He wasn't into dominatrix and leather, Mjcool was. He then went over to the Cerulean gym and watched Misty for a while, under his invisibility cloak. His pants got a bit hard, but Misty was too old for his tastes.

He stopped over at a berry tree and started eating them, ignoring the sign that read "Pokemon berries - If humans eat them, they will get violent diarrhea." He continued to pick the berries when he heard a shrill, young voice from behind the tree. He started getting hard already.

"Go Nidoran! Attack the Kingler's weakpoint for massive damage!"

Michael observed the young girl battling with a much older man. She was using a blue rat with a horn on it's head. The man was using what appeared to be a giant enemy crab. He was Japanese, wearing a pink shirt and had a very high pitched voice. But what caught Michael's eye was the girl's short white skirt and tight black sleeveless top, flowing brown hair and cute white cap.

"Bon4r" he whispered to himself. This girl must've been around 12. Hey, if there's grass on the field, then play ball!

The crab started hammering the rat with it's massive claw. Obviously this was very one sided. The Nidoran F quickly went down. The man in pink laughed at the girl, taunted her, took her money, and drove off in his Ridge Racer. The girl started to cry as she held her weak little rat.

"Nidoran! Oh, my poor little Nidoran F!" She held it close to her breast. "Why am I so weak? Why! I wish I could be a Pokemon master like that Ash kid! Waaaah!"

Michael was still fixed upon her breasts. Oh, how he wished he could be that Nidoran. "Hawt!" he said to himself. This time, she heard him.

"Who's there?" she sobbed. "Another trainer here to take my money? Go ahead, I'll never win! I'm a failure!"

Michael came out of the bushes and sat down next to her, trying to cover the bulge in his pants.

"There, there." He hugged her. He loved hugs. "I'm here to make you and offer you can't refuse. I want to take you away and help you become a Pokemon master!"

"Oh... oh really?" the girls eyes glimmered. 'Zomg bon4r' Michael thought to himself. He loved the innocence. Somewhere up in the sky, God was crying.

"YA RLY" replied Michael. He then scooped her and her Nidoran up in his arms and flew up into the sky.

"A-are we flying?" asked the girl, alarmed.

"Indeed! Tell me, girl, what is your name?"

"H-Heather..."

"Well then, Heather, prepare yourself for the journey of a lifetime!"

The was a flash of light, and they dissapeared into the sky.

Later that day:

"What the , you little er! You bring me a 12 year old girl with a level 6 Nidoran F! HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO WIN MY BET WITH SIR IF I HAVE SOMETHING AS WEAK AS THAT!"

"Well... Sir has Tingle!"

Silence.

Lady pulled out a dagger and threw it right at Michael's wingwong. Michael closed his eyes, but did not feel pain. He peeked, and saw that the Nidoran had grabbed the dagger at the last second.

Lady smiled. "Maybe you do have a future!" she laughed.

By ZenOfThunder


	23. Prefic Leon Kennedy

**Leon's Next Mission**

Leon turned another corner, sweating from a combination of exhaustion, heat, and fear. Cautiously moving forward, he kept his ears eyes tuned, ready to attack at the slightest sign of trouble. He held his shotgun in his hands, his finger curled around the trigger. As he slowly made his way to his next destination, he heard a cracking noise several feet behind him. Turning around almost immediately, he pulled the trigger, letting loose a spray of bullets. The Las Plagas creature was killed almost instantly as it took the full force of Leon's assault. Breathing a sigh of relief, Leon suddenly heard another crack from directly behind him. He quickly spun around again, but he didn't move fast enough. The chainsaw of the Las Plagas sped towards Leon's exposed neck…

Leon woke up in a cold sweat. Checking his surroundings, he was able to determine that, thankfully, he was back in his home. He lay back down and glanced at his clock. 5:30. He'd have to get up soon anyway. Getting out of his bed, he headed for his bathroom. Turning on his shower, he checked the waters periodically. Deciding that they were hot enough, he stepped inside and let them wash over him.

It had been months since Leon had saved the president's daughter, braving the dangerous Las Plagas in order to do so. And he still had nightmares about it. But this was his job; he was a special agent for the government, after all. The Las Plagas incident had upset him in more ways then one, though; Umbrella was gone. It was destroyed. Things like this shouldn't still be happening. He sighed again, but was taken from his thoughts by the sound of his alarm going off. Getting out of the shower, he walked over to the clock. 6:02. Turning off the alarm, he turned to his closet.

Opening the closet, he took out his uniform for work: an average looking black suit. He never wore this on missions, of course, but the government had appearances to keep up. Fully dressed, he glanced at the clock again. 6:28. He was going to be pretty early, but that was nothing new. Leaving through the front door, he locked it behind him and climbed into his car. It sprang to life as he turned the key, and pulled smoothly out of the driveway.

As Leon drove along the familiar road, his thoughts turned once again, but this time to Raccoon City. He was just a rookie cop back then who didn't know what he was getting into. He was lucky to be able to escape with his life. But from then on, he was a different person. He dedicated all his time to taking down Umbrella, joining organizations and going on missions all designed to destroy the dangerous company. And his hard work had paid off. The company was gone. But even that was not good enough.

This time, Leon was brought back to reality by the fact that he had arrived. Pulling in to the parking lot, he took his normal spot and left his car. Walking up to the building, he pulled out his card in preparation for his clearance. Going through the doors, he held up his card to the security guard.

"Morning, Mr. Kennedy," he said cheerfully.

"Morning," Leon said.

Taking a look at the large clock, he noticed the time. 7:30. Half an hour early. Just like always. Entering the elevator, he pushed the "5" button and waited patiently as it made its way up. With a ding, the doors opened, and Leon walked into his office floor. Heading straight for his office, he was suddenly stopped by a co-worker.

"Hey, Kennedy. You got someone in your office to see you. Says they've got your next job."

"Thanks," Leon said. Opening his office door, Leon stepped inside, expecting to see a formal person in a black suit. Instead, there was a strange, blue-haired man in a white suit. Puzzled but curious, Leon sat across from the man.

"What can I do for you, Mr…?"

"Sir, Mr. Kennedy. Just call me Sir."

The man's voice was strange, and eerie, sending a chill down Leon's spine. Focusing on his job, however, he put aside his worries and continued to talk to the man.

"Well, Sir, why have you come to meet with me?"

"What would you do, Mr. Kennedy, if I told you that I could stop all of those little zombies that trouble you?"

Leon froze in his seat. What was this man talking about? How did he know about Leon's connection to Umbrella and the Las Plagas?

"…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please, Mr. Kennedy. I know all about Raccoon City, and your little adventure in Spain. I can stop things like that from ever happening again."

Leon stared at the man. He was strange, and he gave off a feeling that he didn't belong. Leon shivered again, and almost left. But he couldn't take the chance that he wasn't serious.

"…what do I have to do?"

"I knew you'd come around, Mr. Kennedy. Now, my superior is hosting a tournament for some of the greatest heroes in existence. You have been invited to participate. If you win, then I'll take care of all your little nightmares. Deal?"

The man held out his hand, inviting Leon to a handshake. He continued to stare at the man. A tournament of heroes? And all he had to do was win? It almost seemed too good to be true…

"And if I lose?"

"Nothing will happen to you, Mr. Kennedy. You'll return to your average life exactly the way you left it."

Leon thought about his offer for a few moments. It was certainly tempting…all of his efforts would no longer be in vain…

"Deal."

Leon reached out his hand and shook the man's hand. As soon as he did, they both disappeared in a flash of light, headed towards the tournament.

By Oddname


	24. Prefic Soma Cruz

**Power of Dominance**

Soma Cruz woke up early, as always. He looked out the window and found that, once again, it was dark outside. He sighed, putting his head in his hands. He may have stopped himself from becoming Dracula, but he gained a few habits from his trip through Castlevania. It was getting harder to keep a regular schedule.

He lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes. He found that, to his dismay, he wasn't tired at all. He stood up instead, and scanned his room to see if there was anything he could do to pass the time. Finding nothing that caught his interest at the moment, he decided that a nice walk would be best. Dressing himself, and donning his trench coat, he quietly slipped out of his house and went outside.

The cool air hit Soma's face and refreshed him. There were a couple of benefits to waking up early, and the morning air was one of them. As he walked down his streets, his thoughts turned back to the time last year when he'd first found out about his strange heritage. Apparently he was the reincarnation of Dracula, Lord of Darkness. His ability to absorb the souls of monsters that he met in the castle was corrupting him, making him a vessel for the evil vampire. Only through the support and encouragement of his friends was he able to throw off the evil associated with his power.

But that wouldn't be the end of the troubles his powers brought him. A cult that wanted to resurrect Dracula tried to kill him and take his powers. Once again, he had to brave a dangerous castle with his friends in order to stop the Dark Lord from rising. That was just a few months ago, and Soma had a sinking feeling that it wouldn't be the last time. The curse of Dracula would continue to haunt him well into his life.

Soma looked up at where his feet had taken him, and was surprised to see himself at the Hakuba Shrine. This is where it had all started, when he'd taken his friend Mina here. Mina…how many times had she been put in danger because of him? Perhaps it would be for the best if he left his friends' lives. But he couldn't bear the thought of that. They were all that stopped him from succumbing to the darkness.

Soma turned to leave, and was greeted with an unusual sight. Genya Arikado, the mysterious man who had helped Soma through Castlevania, was speaking with another strange man dressed in white. Soma couldn't tell what they were saying, but Genya seemed interested in the man's words. Without warning, the man turned around and started walking straight towards Soma, but disappeared into a portal Genya followed him and, after pausing in front of the portal, likewise stepped inside. Soma was confused, but became shocked when the man stepped out again and made his way towards Soma.

"Ah, Mr. Cruz! Wonderful, I thought I would have to track you down."

"Wh…what do you want?" Soma said nervously, backing away from the man. Past experiences showed that strangers who had been looking for him were never a good sign.

"I am Sir, and I come to you with an invitation. The same invitation I had for your friend Alucard."

Soma was still nervous, but confusion took over for a few moments. He stopped moving backwards and looked at the man with a puzzled expression.

"Alucard?"

"Oh, that's right. You know him as a Mr. Arikado. Anyway, that's not important. What is important is that you have been invited to participate in a fighting tournament, in which some of the greatest fighters in the Universe will be competing."

Soma stared at the man with the same puzzled expression as before. A fighting tournament with the greatest fighters in the Universe? Learning that he was Dracula reborn was one thing, but this was just weird.

"…seriously?"

"Yes, Mr. Cruz. Seriously. And we'll make it well worth the effort, too."

Soma stared at the man. He'd seen him take Genya to some strange place, so maybe this wasn't so far-fetched after all. But what did he mean, make it worth the effort?

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

The man chuckled softly, and started walking towards Soma. Soma grew more frightened as he drew closer, but this time he stood his ground.

"Well…if you win, we could take those powers of yours away. Make the Power of Dominance just disappear. You'd never have to worry about Dracula or cults ever again."

Soma started in shock. Take away his powers? How did this man even know about them? And how did he know that it was just what he wanted? This was getting stranger, but Soma shook off all of his questions. He couldn't miss this chance.

"Alright. I'll do it."

"I knew you would."

The man snapped his fingers, and the Hakuba Shrine was once again empty as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

By OddName


	25. Prefic Crono and Marle

**The Second Trigger**

The sound of Nadias bell ringing in the morning was one of the most beautiful sounds Crono could wake up to. His eyes opened slowly as he came out of his deep sleep. It had been a year since the Millenial Fair, although it felt like it had been much longer to Crono. Time ceased to pass normally while Crono and his friends traveled through time. What was a day in 1000 AD, was in reality much shorter it had seemed. Nobody had known why this was, perhaps it was the work of the Entity. Or maybe it was because Crono and his friends were altering the very fabric of time itself. It felt like so long ago that Marle had been warped back in time by a few hundred years.

Crono had trouble pulling himself out of bed. Though he was fully awake, he wanted to sleep a while longer. He was however prevented from doing this when his mother called out to him.

"Crono, time to get up"

Crono finally managed to get himself out of bed. He slowly walked to the window, and opened the curtains. Outside he could see the sun rising over Nadias bell. A sun that may have only had ninehundred and some more years to rise if he and his friends had not done what they had done. Though doing this did not go without having it's consequences. There were people would would cease to exist because of what they did. But in the end, they figured that the lives that they would save would be well worth it.

Crono started to head downstairs. His mother was at the bottom waiting for him.

"You know Crono, you need to start getting up earlier. It's not good to keep the Princess Waiting"

The Princess... she meant Marle of course. Or rather Nadia. Crono had never refered to her as that. To him, she was always Marle. She always would be. The girl that he had met at the Millenial Fair. He knew nothing of her identity, cared nothing about her riches or her power. He liked her for who she was.

Just then, Marle burst through the door. She had done it many times before, and was a regular guest in Cronos home. Cronos mom had welcomed her into their home anytime.

"Our guards need more training! They can't keep up with me! How are they supposed to defend our kingdom if they can't even keep up with me" Marle said.

Crono laughed at her comment. Marle had a puzzled look on her face.

"Well I guess it IS for the best. otherwise I'd be kept up in my room all day!" Marle said with enthusiasm.

Crono had promised to go to Leene Square with Marle today. There was no special occasion, but Marle so loved Leenes Square. It was perhaps her favorite place in the whole world. She had to avoid the mobs of people who wanted to treat her like a princess instead of a person. But she still liked it there.

"We should get going Crono."

Crono nodded in agreement.

"Bye Mrs C!" Marle called out.

The two of them left Cronos house, and headed straight for Leene Square. It was a beautiful day for a walk. The sun was shining brightly. It wasn't too hot, the temperature was just right in fact. A cool breeze was blowing.

BOOM

There was an explosion coming from Leene Square. Marle and Crono ran to see what was the matter. As they had both expected they found Lucca working on her latest project. Nobody knew what it was... or what it did. The only thing most people were certain of was the children at Luccas orphanage probably shouldn't get anywhere near the device.

"Oi! I can't believe it blew up again!" a blonde haired girl at the orphanage said.

"It's your fault you know!" a boy told her.

Lucca didn't notice the two children bickering her. She was much more focused on the failure of the experiment.

"What did I do wrong?"

Marle laughed. "Don't tell me the GREAT scientist Lucca is already giving up!"

Lucca didn't even hear Marles comment. She was far too focused on the machine in front of her. It was obviously very important.

"Come on Crono, let's go"

Male tugged on Cronos arm, and reluctantly Crono left his friend alone. It wasn't likely he would get through to her either.

The two of them finally reached Nadias bell. Everytime the two of them came to the bell, it would ring, as if signifying that the two of them truly belonged together. There was nothing that could seperate the two of them. Not even the King of Guardia himself.

"It's so beautiful" Marle said.

Crono nodded in agreement.

Marle smiled, and they stared into each others eyes. The two then came closer together, and kissed.

"I love you Crono..." marle said.

"I love you too" Crono managed to get out.

Marle was always happy to hear him say this. Crono was the man she wanted to marry. While she didn't like her duties as princess too much, she did like the duty of marrying the future King. She knew that Crono would make a great King too. He was smart, he was strong, and most of all, he cared for her and he cared for Guardia.

"Princess Nadia" a womans voice spoke

"Crono" a mans voice said.

Oh great...more loyal subjects... Marle thought

"What are you doing here?" Sir asked Lady.

"I could ask you the same thing" Lady said.

"I'm here for" they said in unison

"Crono"

"Nadia"

"I don't have time for this" Marle said.

"We have an invitation.." Lady and Sir said, trying to work together.

"Not interested. How about you Crono? You don't want to go to some droll party do you?"

"It's not a party" Lady explained.

"It's a tournament" Sir expanded

"Oh in that case... it's still a no."

"I thought you might say that. Do you realize the actions you took in 1000 AD have caused many people to not exist." Sir said.

Marle and Crono were shocked. How did they know..?

"Those people... they probably hate you. But we... can erase that. We can ease their pain" Sir said.

"If one of you win the tournament.." Lady said

Easing the pain of those who were erased... to do that would take a load off of the guilt both of them felt.

"We'll do it" Crono said.

Marle was slightly shocked, but had no objections herself.

"Very well then. Right through this door Princess, Crono." Lady and Sir said together.

And so a gate opened up beneath Nadias bell. And both Crono and Marle had an eerie sense of Deja Vu.

By Cloud and Squall


	26. Prefic Auron

**The Legendary Guardian**

The Farplane was beautiful. It was always beautiful; more likely than not, it always would be beautiful. After all, this is where the spirits of Spira's dead went. No one who would dare to desecrate this sacred place could even access it. And thus, the dead were allowed the eternal rest that they had been promised in life.

One spirit, however, was not entirely restful. The weary from of Auron took shape as his soul looked out at Spira. Even after he fulfilled his allotted role and helped to destroy Sin, Spira wasn't finding peace. With the Yevon religion gone, its practices and purposes abandoned, fights began to break out over what to do. Some were quick to abandon the old ways and embrace new technologies. Others thought that the change should be gradual. And some thought that the changes shouldn't come at all. And none of these factions could agree. And so, conflict and violence arose.

Auron thought about what he had done with his life as he pondered these events. Denied a career as a monk due to his principles, he had joined Braska in his quest to defeat Sin. He was young and idealistic then, and truly wished to bring peace to the land through his actions. But later, all his idealism and optimism were shattered when he found that Sin's death also fueled his rebirth. Everything he had done for the people was in vain, and he was forced to pay the price: the life of his friends, and his own life.

But Auron wouldn't allow that to be it. Remaining unsent, he was given a second chance to correct his mistakes. And he was successful in that. Guiding Jecht's son Tidus and Braska's daughter Yuna, they were able to find a way to destroy Sin permanently. Having finally fulfilled his role in life, Auron allowed himself to be sent, And this is where he now found himself, at the Farplane.

Sin was gone. The corrupt maesters no longer had any power. Spira's problems were all a thing of the past. But new problems had just arisen to take their place. Was everything Auron had done in vain after all? He had denied himself rest for 10 years to stop that, but it seemed that it happened anyway.

"It's a shame, isn't it?"

The spirit of Auron, as well as all the spirits around him, was quite surprised. A living, breathing person had somehow managed to find his way onto the Farplane. It wasn't supposed to be possible. Only Auron, though, knew what his words meant. His physical appearance materialized in order to make the conversation flow more smoothly.

"Why are you here?" Auron said in his normal, brusque tones.

"Always so direct, aren't you? Anyway, I come to you with a proposal."

Auron blinked, looking at the man. He was a strange sight, dressed entirely in white. But Auron showed no signs of shock or surprise as he responded to the man's words.

"My story is finished. I need not do anything anymore."

"My, my, but you say that a lot. Anyway, I think you'll like what I have to say. I represent an organization that is quite…powerful. We could make any world peaceful. As perfect as anyone could want."

"You are capable of this, but you don't do it without cause? What kind of people are you?" Auron questioned harshly.

The man laughed at this. "How noble of you. But the point is, we are offering this to you. And all you have to do is win a fighting tournament. Surely you aren't so proud as to turn down this offer from the 'wicked?'"

Auron stood there for what seemed like an eternity. He should know better than to trust a strange man, but it took enormous amounts of power to successfully enter the Farplane…while still alive, that is.

"…fine."

"Good. Now, let's be on our way."

The man snapped, and a portal appeared in front of him. He walked inside, and Auron followed almost immediately.

By OddName


	27. Prefic Squall Leonhart

**Heart of the Lion**

Sorceress Knight?... that was all that was on Squalls mind. As the leader of SeeD, Squall Leonhart would have to destroy the sorceress. Striking down Rinoa with his own sword? He wasn't sure if he could do it. Even more, he wasn't sure if he would. He had finally found someone that he cared about... someone that he wanted to protect. Unlike Seifer it wasn't an obsession or a fetish of some sort. He fell in love with Rinoa, not the Sorceress. Rinoa was special to Squall. She had been able to open up his heart to things he wasn't sure he was ready for. The thought of crossing his friends should they choose to fight Rinoa was on Squalls mind for a long time now. Though he cared for Selphie, Quistis, Zell, and even Irvine, Squall was unable to say he wouldn't turn against them if they fought Rinoa.

He had in fact come to the decision that if there were those who would take arms up against Rinoa, he would become her Sorceress Knight. He would protect her at all costs. She was the one thing in life that mattered to him more than anything else. Should anyone stand against her, he'd never forgive himself if he didn't try to protect her. The old Squall would've never made such a decision. The old Squall would've thought it his duty to kill her...

Kill Rinoa? Impossible. That wasn't something he could even fathom doing now. Duty? Yeah it was important. But so was she, and in his life, she came first.

"President Laguna Loire of Esthar wishes to speak to you" Quistis said to her former student, someone she had once cared very much about.

"...yeah"

Squall walked into the presidential room. He was uncomfortable talking with Laguna. He was... the opposite of himself.

"Hey!" Laguna said.

"What do you want?"

"Remember when I said I had something to tell you on the Ragnarok?"

"...sure"

"Well the thing is" Laguna started "Oof, cramps... not now!"

"Well?"

"Squall..." "Oh god... here it comes. Just say it you idiot! If you don't tell him, you'll regret it. "I wanted to thank you properly for saving the world. So uhhh... thanks"

"What is this guy thinking?" "...Whatever"

Squall began to leave.

"Wait Squall... that's not what I had to tell you. It's hard for me to say this" "God he must think I'm an idiot or something..". "Squall there's something I really have to tell you. The truth is.."

"What are you saying?" Squall asked him, tired of him dancing around the subject.

"When you were inside my head through the work of Ellone, you were able to see the things I did. You were able to meet a wonderful woman named Raine. She was a loving and caring person. When I left her... I had no idea she was pregnant. It wasn't until after she had died that I learned that I had a son... that son was you Squall"

Squall was speechless.

"God.. he must hate me... I want you to know... that I love you. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there for you as a child. I'm sorry I wasn't able to watch over you and Ellone as much as I could."

"...whatever"

"Phew, that was hard. That's it, I'm your father. Aren't you going to... say anything?"

"..." Squall wanted to say something so badly.

Just then Xu burst in with an important message.

"Sir! Sorry for interrupting, but I have a message for you. A man has come looking for you. He's back at the Garden"

"Alright. Thank you Xu"

Squall left without saying anything to his own father. It was a good reason to leave.. but at the same time he felt he should've said something. Even if Laguna was far from a great father... he seemed like a good man. Not someone Squall would want to become.. but someone that wasn't a bad person anyhow.

Squall arrived back at the Garden, to be greeted by the Sentries.

"We're sorry Sir, but the man has seemed to have vanished. You can rest in your room until we find him if you like. We'll come and get you when we do find him" The sentry said.

"That'll be fine."

Squall had been called away by this man, and now he was nowhere to be seen? But why? The man had to have known that Squall was in Esthar on business. But at least he'd get some time to rest.

But resting was the last thing Squall could do.

Laguna... my father. I can't believe I have a father who is a moron. But.. he seems to be running Esthar very well. Maybe he's changed... why couldn't he have just stayed with Raine though... my mother? I got a chance to see my mother thanks to Ellone. I guess this all explains why I've felt so connected with her. She's my own half-sister.

Just then someone entered his room.

"Did you find him?"

"No silly. I just wanted to come and see you" Rinoa said.

"Rinoa..."

"Quistis told me about what happened. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there. Nobody trusts me anymore... But you do, don't you Squall?"

"Of course"

"That's my Squall. My hero. You're the only one that really matters. I don't care if nobody else trusts me... so long as you do, I'll be happy"

"I don't care what happens Rinoa. I'll protect you from them if it comes to that"

"You don't have to do that Squall. I already told you. If SeeD comes to kill me I'll be fine with it.. so long as it's your sword that takes my life"

"I'd never do that. I couldn't. If you were to become the sorceress, the only people to die by my sword, would be those who stood against you"

"But Squall.."

A sentry entered the room.

"Sir, we've found the man. He wishes to speak with you. Alone"

Squall nodded to rinoa. "I'll see you in a little bit. I promise"

"Okay"

Rinoa and the Sentry left the room. Sir Enters the Room.

"Hello Mr. Leonhart. I've come with an invitation to a tournament."

"Not interested."

"Of course... of course. I understand. Why fight in a tournament when you have so much to do here. Really I do understand. But do know, that there is a prize for the winner."

"I don't care"

"What if I told you I could make it so you could protect the girl if you won the tournament?"

"...Whatever"

"You don't have to believe me."

Sir then snapped his fingers, and in front of him appeared ultimecia.

"If I have the power to summon the sorceress from the future, don't you think it's possible I might have the power to help you protect Rinoa"

"..."

"Think about it Squall. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. All I'm asking of you is to enter the tournament and win. Of course it's not going to be easy, but the prize should be worth it"

"...fine I'll do it" Squall said reluctantly.

"Very good. I thought you might"

Sir walked through first.

"Rinoa... if we stay separated for long... you can find me waiting for you in the field of flowers... if not in this life, then in the next. I promise I'll try to come back to you. If I can win this... then we can be happy together forever." Squall said.

By Cloud and Squall


	28. Prefic Rikku

Dragoner:I'm thinking of a way to fill in that little plothole. Keep in mind that I'm writing Rikku's match, too, so I'll find a way.

So we're just going to wait and see, eh?

**Through The Looking-Glass**

On a craggy offshoot of Gagazet Peak stood a girl.

She felt at the cold stone with her toes, nimble and steady, careful not to stumble. It was a long way down. Rikku knew this from personal experience. This had been the third time she navigated the holy mountain, clinging to ridges she knew were too brittle to support the weight. But she had pressed on anyway, refusing to submit – in a way, the two great journeys tucked shakily under her belt had changed her in this way. Danger had become a part of her, and the girl figured that it would stay there as long as it liked.

She was sick of danger, Rikku realized abruptly.

As if acting on a cosmic cue, the wind took a sudden turn, caressing her face like icy fingers. She shivered. _When Yunie was around, things always seemed less scary . . ._

"Probably off smooching," Rikku mumbled aloud, gripping her sides to prevent what little body heat she was giving off from escaping. Why, oh, why hadn't she thought to dress warmer?

Gradually, her thoughts drifted back to Yuna. The older sister she never had: it was so very cliché. Cliché, yes, but a comforting thought nonetheless – that there was someone who cared for her, wanted to protect her. Someone who wasn't obligated by blood ties. The Al Bhed, of course, were Rikku's people; the insignia of their race stared back from every mirror. The quick, deceptive green eyes, the flaxen hair . . .

But Yuna, while the same blood rushed through her body, seemed not to link to them at all. She might as well have been part Ronso. She was Al Bhed, but not _of _the Al Bhed. And yet she failed to see them in the way that everyone else did.

But now she was in the Farplane, and who knew if she would ever come back.

_Savages! Thieves! Gearheads! Drifters!_

_Murderers!_

Suddenly a great rush of emotion took hold of Rikku, shuddering her tiny frame in a torrent. She wavered and nearly fell, catching herself. A chunk of stone the size of her fist broke from the outcropping with a hollow crack, and tumbled many, many lengths to the cliff below.

She wanted her Yunie back.

_(Be careful what you wish for.)_

The bizarre thought came out of nowhere, like the stranger wrapped in shadow who spoke from behind.

"I understand that there is something you want."

The voice drifted through the freezing air in a grave baritone, neither pleasant nor un-pleasant. Rikku spun, laying a lightning hand to the dagger at her side.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"But, then," the stranger continued, marking his words with an elegant sweep of his cloaked forearm, "we all have things we want."

Rikku said nothing, but tightened her grip on the dagger. She was no longer cold.

"Such desirables do not simply appear out of thin air," he remarked, materializing an apple with a flick of his finger. The fruit, crimson and crisp, simply appeared in his hand, as if it had been there all along under a camouflaged silk. "Usually, an . . . exchange is entailed."

"You have five seconds to tell me who you are and what you want before I get mean."

He looked at her with hooded eyes. "You want your friend. You want Yuna."

Rikku froze. "How – if you've done anything—"

"We can bring her to you." He crunched into the apple, chewed, and swallowed. "That is, assuming your cooperation. A deal cannot be struck by only one."

This man was obviously a lunatic . . . but the girl thought it would be best to find out what he knew. Whatever it was, it would be twice as much as she did. "What do you want, Mr. Mysterious Stranger?"

"Only your participation. A little . . . get-together at, let's say, the queen's ball? Aye, a grand event, to be sure! For when does an envoy of the Queen approach a poor native girl to ask her to the dance?" He spun in a slow circle, faux-waltzing with a kind of haunting elegance.

"You're crazy."

"'Insanity is the logic of an accurate mind overtasked'," quoted the phantom, from a source unknown to Rikku. "And I am such a busy man. There is much to do . . . If you refuse, I shall be on my way." He turned.

And a hole in the air ripped itself open, revealing the guts of the universe. She recoiled, and he stepped in with the same ghostly grace.

"Wait!" she burst. "Tell me – where's Yunie? Can you take me to her–?"

One foot through the portal and into nothingness, the man turned. Even without seeing his face, she could sense the coldness of his stare.

"There will be violence," he warned.

Rikku did not answer. Instead, she breathed deep, and followed him into the man-sized chasm in existence.

It closed behind them with the audible _pop! _of horridly cold Gagazet air, rushing to fill the area that their bodies had displaced mere moments ago.

The mountain watched, and while it did not speak the languages of the creatures above it, somewhere in its dim and ancient consciousness, it sensed that a great battle was just over the yawning horizon.

By Dragoner. Damn that guy is good.


	29. Prefic Luigi

**Super Luigi Brothers**

_Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and for…wait. Why am I doing this? Why am I walking in this line over and over again, turning only when an insurmountable obstacle prevents itself? I am capable of more than this. I need not waste my life in this pathetic display of incompetence. In fact, I refuse to! No, from this point forward I am going to use all my talents to the fullest! Starting today, I shall never –_

Sadly, we'll never know what that Goomba's next thought would be, nor how his example would affect other Goombas down the line, as Luigi chose that moment come jumping down from a warp pipe and crush him. Using the momentum from that, he jumped again, onto a set of floating brick blocks. Running along them, he jumped once again at the very end, bouncing of a Paratroopa before landing on a Koopa. Picking up the shell that was left behind he threw it in front of him, knocking away a line of Goombas and Koopas that had been approaching. Running forward, he found himself at the end of the path; all that remained were a flag and a warp pipe. Sitting down, he took out his map and crossed this section of the Mushroom Kingdom out.

"Oh…Mario isn't-a here-a either! Where-a could he be-a?"

A while ago, Luigi's beloved brother, Mario, had disappeared without a trace. Luigi had dedicated all his time to tracking him down, but so far he hadn't had any luck, and he was running out of places to look. Thankfully, Bowser hadn't enacted one of his schemes yet, but it was only a matter of time. And Luigi wasn't sure if he could take down the evil King of the Koopas. After all, Mario was the hero and the icon. Luigi was just…Luigi.

Packing up his map again, he pulled down the flag and walked over to the warp pipe. Jumping to the top, he quickly scanned the area again, making absolutely certain that Mario wasn't nearby. Failing to spot him once again, he jumped inside of the warp pipe.

Luigi could tell right off the bat that something wasn't right. Instead of appearing in the underground, or another section of the Mushroom Kingdom, he appeared in a solitary darkened room. Looking around nervously, he shivered as he became aware that the room was also very cold. He immediately decided that Mario was certainly not here, and even if he was, he could stay for all Luigi cared. Starting to jump back onto the warp pipe, he stopped cold when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Surely you aren't leaving yet?"

As soon as the man spoke, the room brightened up. Luigi, visibly scared stiff, slowly turned around to face him. He looked unusual, with blue hair and all-white clothing. Luigi couldn't bring himself to say anything as the man smiled and began to speak.

"Hello, Mr.…" Sir almost said Luigi's last name, but, realizing that it would only cause confusion, decided to abandon that practice for now, "er, Luigi. How are you?"

Luigi, still shaking from fear, found himself unable to speak.

_Come on, Luigi. What would Mario do?_

Conjuring up images of his brother and his feats of bravery, Luigi managed to sputter out a few words.

"Wh-wh-who-a are you-a?"

"Oh, my apologies, Luigi. I haven't properly introduced myself." At this, Sir did a very dramatic bow, and slowly stood back up. "You may call me Sir."

Luigi began to back up until his back hit the warp pipe. Bumping into it, he started and let out a small yelp. Realizing it was just the pipe, however, he mustered up the courage to speak again.

"Wh-wh-what do you-a want?"

"I have come with an invitation for you, Luigi. An invitation to a tournament being hosted by my superior."

For the first time, Luigi stopped shaking so much. A tournament? Maybe…just maybe…

"You are correct, Luigi. Your brother Mario will be there."

Luigi started and began shaking again as he realized this strange man had read his thoughts.

"Oh, yes, sorry about that. When one can read thoughts, one does find oneself using the talent often. Anyway, if you enter this tournament, you'll get more than a chance to see your brother. The winner is allowed a wish. Anything they desire."

Luigi gaped at the man. He could read thoughts? But his mind quickly turned to the other thing he had said. A wish? Why, with that, Luigi could be strong and brave. All of the images he had of Mario braving dangers and trouncing Bowser were briefly replaced with Luigi doing the same things.

"Well-a…"

Luigi was tempted, but he still didn't trust this man. And it was better to be safe than sorry. Opening his mouth to say no, a nagging thought suddenly hit him.

Mario would say yes.

"…I'll-a do it."

The man smiled and snapped his fingers. No physical change had taken place, but he walked towards Luigi and climbed onto the warp pipe.

"Excellent. Now, if you'll just follow me, I've redirected this pipe to take us to the arena."

The man stepped inside and fell into the depths. Luigi climbed onto the pipe as well and, taking a brief look into the inky blackness inside, jumped in.

By OddName


	30. Prefic Tingle

**Tingle-Tingle, Kooloo-Limpiah**

"I want to be a fairy, father." Tingle said.

"You already are a damn fairy if you ask me, son."

Tingle was 35 years old, and still lived with his parents. Of course he lived in their guest house, or at least that's what they called it when Tingle was around. When he wasn't around, it was merely "The Basement." As for what Tingle called it, well Neverland is the name that seemed to stick. Sometimes the neighborhood boys would come over to play, and if they were good, he'd even serve them some of his fathers finest wine. Of course this upset his father in more ways than one, but Tingle often enjoyed irking his father.

"Are you sure you didn't cheat on me?" Tingle's father asked, hoping for a "yes"

"No dear, I'd never cheat on you"

"You drank some of my wine when you were pregnant. Go on, admit it, I won't' get mad at you, I promise"

"No dear, I was very careful."

Tingle's father just couldn't understand why Tingle would turn out this way. But he had figured that it had to be his wife's fault somehow. Somewhere along the line she had done something to make that boy be the way he was.

Tingle's mother on the other hand tried to accept him acting out the way he did. She didn't blame herself as her husband did.

Sure, she didn't buy him the Skipper doll to go along with the Barbie doll she got him for Christmas, but they were sold out! And she got him an Easy Bake Oven, and two My Little Ponies to make up for it.

She never tried to push him too hard. When she entered him into that Ballet Competition, and he only placed 4th, she didn't yell at him. She simply told him he'd have to do better next year.

She always tried to be the hottest new clothing for him at Club Illusion.

She even took him to the male strip club where she worked on "Take your Son to work day."

So it was quite obvious, she wasn't to blame. No it had to be something else. But she couldn't figure out what.

"At least he draws maps for a living" She told her darling husband.

"Bah. Who the hell needs a map? He sells them a too high of a price. Why back in my day you could get a map for 30 rupees. 30!"

Tingle hated being the disappointment in the family. He'd never gain the respect of his father. That's why he wanted to so badly be a fairy. Maybe then his father would respect him. Though it was doubtful, seeing as how Tingles father hated Fairies.

"That boy... He's no son of mine!" Tingle's father yelled adamantly.

That upset Tingle heavily. Even though he was 35, it still hurt him to hear his father say that he didn't want him as a son. Tingle was a bit... emotional.

And so he ran out the door, forgetting that Billy and Johnny were still in the guest house, sipping on some of the finest Chardonnay in the world out of a sippy cup.

"My father hates me! What did I do wrong?" Tingle asked himself, dodging the regular arrows coming from several guys wearing green tunics.

They always were practicing when Tingle came out of the house. They were really good at what they did. They never even hit Tingle. They would often get mad, as if they had missed their target, but Tingle figured it was merely because they wanted to be better.

_You want to be a fairy, do you not?_

The strange voice spoke to him.

"Yes! Of course I do!"

The Voice paused, as if he were unsure if he wanted to talk to Tingle or not.

_I can make that come true for you. All you have to do... is enter a tournament_

"I'll do it!"

_Of course you'd have to win_

"Okey Dokey Smokey!"

_Very well_

The dimensional gate opened up, and Tingle went through without giving anything a second thought, like how kids would jump into his car when he offered them candy.


	31. Prefic Aeris

**What Dreams May Come**

She was the last remaining member of her race. An ancient race known as the Cetra. In laymen's terms, she was an Ancient. To the Shinra, and to AVALANCHE, she was the one that could lead them to the promised land. To Hojo, she was nothing more than a research specimen. It was all very despicable, all of them, the way they all wanted to use her. Yet... she was always smiling. She had a glow about her that nobody else had.

So why was she always smiling? It was just the kind of person she was. She cared about other people in a way that was almost saintly. In fact, she mostly only thought of other people. She had fallen in love a couple of times... most notably with a 1st Class Solider, **Zack**. Flashes of her memory contained many special moments with Zack. He was her first true love. Through the lifestream, she had found her way to Zack, and then she was not alone anymore.

Her second true love, was Cloud Strife. Perhaps it was because he reminded her so much of Zack. Of course that was mostly because Cloud had confused his own memories for those of Zack's. Aeris had never noticed Cloud when he was with Zack, though Cloud was certainly used to not being noticed. It was part of the reason he so dreamed of becoming like Sephiroth. But he was much more like Zack. And while part of it was because of Clouds confused memories, it was also because that was just how Cloud was.

While she fell in love with him because he reminded her of Zack, she really did love Cloud for who he was. She cared very much about him. While it may have partly been Zack's memories that drew him to Aeris, it was Cloud's own choice to fall in love with Aeris. He loved her, and because of that, he blamed himself for her death. But Aeris... she never blamed him. Even if it were his fault though, she wouldn't have blamed him. She cared about him unconditionally.

Zack too... he cared about Cloud a lot. Even though Cloud had taken on the memories Zack had, Zack cared about his old friend. The two of them wanted Cloud to be able to move on, to move past Aeris' Death. It was truly her destiny to die that day, so that many others could live. She didn't realize it until that moment, but as she died, she knew that was what was supposed to happen.

She didn't even really blame Sephiroth for killing her. She did hate him... not like Cloud had grown to do. Fear... that's all she felt about Sephiroth. Clouds hatred had consumed him though, and had turned into Guilt about Aeris's death. So long as his hatred toward Sephiroth remained, Cloud would not be able to be whole.

Cloud had been through a lot over the course of his journey. He wasn't sure who he was. He watched someone he loved get killed as he remained powerless to stop it. He had witnessed the deaths of many important people. He didn't feel strong... he felt weak. But it was his will that was strong, something Sephiroth didn't have. He may not have been a 1st Class SOLDIER, but he had a very strong will. But he didn't feel even that. He gave the black materia to Sephiroth. He almost killed Aeris. He did not see the strong will inside him that Aeris saw.

Throughout her life, Aeris was able to feel loved. By her mother, by Zack, and by Cloud. There were others, too, who had shown her love and compassion. The same love and compassion she felt that Cloud deserved. The kind he... needed. The kind sadly she could no longer provide for him. No... that responsibility would lie in the hands of Tifa Lockheart. She was possibly a rival for Clouds affection, and the first true crush Cloud had. He had fallen for her hard when he was a child... it was as if they belonged together. Aeris would be happy just knowing Cloud was happy. She wouldn't feel like she was losing him, but rather that he was gaining something important in his life.

Aeris harbored no ill feelings toward Tifa in life, nor in death. She wasn't entirely sure Tifa didn't harbor ill feelings toward herself, but would understand if she did. Aeris wasn't the kind to give in to petty jealousy. She was a very understanding person, more than anybody could really ask for. But Cloud... Cloud would feel guilty if he turned to Tifa. He'd feel like he was betraying Aeris. That wasn't how Aeris wanted him to feel. She wanted him to feel happiness, and love. She wanted him to feel good. She'd never consider it a betrayal. Aeris knew she was gone. Cloud needed to fill that void in his life. If it were Tifa, then it would be great for him, because Aeris knew Tifa was a good person.

_"I'm letting you go, Cloud... can't you see that?"_

Those words... the words she had told him long ago. The words he didn't listen to. He heard them... he just didn't listen. She wanted to free him of his past. Free him of his guilt. Free him of... her.

**"I'll always love you... I'll always care for you... but you have to move on. Because if you don't, you'll end up lonely. Me? I'm not lonely anymore."**

She had prayed for a long time for Cloud to finally understand that it was okay for him to move on

_Prayers... please reach the planet... reach the sky... make Cloud understand... erase his guilt... erase his pain..._

Aeris felt a sudden rush of strange energy hitting the lifestream. She didn't understand what was happening. But she felt it speak to her, much like the planet spoke to her in the church back in sector 5.

You want Cloud to be free of the prison he created for himself... A selfless wish. Such a pure heart. You would do anything for him, wouldn't you?

Aeris wasn't sure how this woman was speaking to her through the lifestream. She wasn't sure how it was happening. It would've taken an immense amount of power to even try to do that.

**I come bearing an offer to you. We are hosting a tournament. If you were to join, we could grant you your wish**

"I want Cloud to be happy... but I cannot participate in a tournament. I'm no longer among the living, and have no ability to fight"

**And if we could give you life... if only temporarily... would you join then?**

Aeris paused for a moment. She was unsure of how to answer.

"For Cloud... I'll do it"

Aeris felt another rush of energy flowing through the lifestream. She felt things around her fading away. She started to feel human again. Her feet started to materialize. She could feel her toes wiggling. Then her legs started to materialize, followed by the rest of her body. When her head finally materialized, she was standing in a building. The floors were white, and the place looked like it was far technologically advanced.

"Welcome Ms. Gainsborough" the woman who had spoken to her through the life stream. "You'll be staying here for a while"

By Cloud and Squall


	32. Prefic Sonic the Hedgehog

**Egg Chaos**

In a canyon several miles from the nearest city, an airship was casting a wide shadow over the barren land. That airship was the vessel of a well-known doctor, an evil doctor. Eggman to be exact. And his selfish ambitions led him to this very spot, where one certain emerald peaked his interest.

Down descended a small round hover craft, with one seat big enough to fit the plump shape of the so called doctor. Eggman lowered himself down into the canyon, deeper and deeper he went, until he could go no further. The ground is what stopped him, and this was his destination, the blue chaos emerald would be somewhere around here, probably hiding away in the solid rock of the canyon wall.

"Alright my robot companions," Eggman said with his annoying voice. "Start digging!" Several robots that hovered through the air positioned themselves in random places along the canyon wall, and with their pick axes, they did as their master commanded. They wouldn't stop until they had found the chaos emerald, or something else got in their way...

That 'something' was heading their way at that moment, at an extreme amount of speed. Sonic the Hedgehog, a blue blur in the vast desert, and a giant dust cloud trailing his movements. It only took a matter of seconds for Sonic to enter the canyon, in which he was already closed in on Eggman and the evil man's robots that were hard at work, not paying any attention to the intrusion.

"Sonic!" Eggman shouted from his comfortable seat.

"Eggman!" Sonic replied in unison with Eggman.

"You here to thwart my plans once again, you stupid blue hog!" Eggman yelled an attempt at his best insult.

"That's _hedge_hog, Sonic the Hedgehog. And I guess you could say I'm here to rock the party!" In a split second, Sonic peeled out toward Eggman. Once the hedgehog was in range, he curled into a rapidly spinning ball and rammed into the hovercraft that was carrying Eggman. Eggman screamed in terror as his transport was flung higher into the sky, but it was quickly leveled out at the moment Sonic's feet had hit the ground.

"You'll regret that!" Eggman threatened.

"We'll see..." Sonic said to himself, he was getting ready to attack again, but one of Eggman's robots intervened.

"I found something!" the robot yelled in delight.

"Bring it to me, quickly!" Eggman snapped. The robot obeyed instantly and started hovering up to Eggman.

"I don't think so!" Sonic jumped up to the robot and intercepted it, grabbing the chaos emerald before it was even close to the clutches of Eggman. "CHAOS CONTROL!" Sonic disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared behind Eggman, attempting to kick the evil genius from behind. Only that Eggman saw it coming and blocked it with one of his hovercraft's mechanical arms.

"That trick is way overused," Eggman smirked. He ordered the mechanical arm to toss Sonic to the ground just as another arm grabbed the chaos emerald from the hedgehog's hand. Sonic gasped in shock as he rocketed down into the dirt below. "HA HA HA HA! Better luck next time, Snoic!" Eggman quickly flew away with the chaos emerald in hand, his robots stuck back to hold Sonic off.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic jumped up to his feet and darted off toward Eggman, but two of the robots got in his way. Sonic blew right past them, leaving the machines clueless, but to no use. Eggman had already gotten away, he was already up to his airship, completely out of Sonic's reach. The robots floated up after their master, leaving Sonic standing there by the rocky canyon wall feeling angry at himself. "Darn you Eggman..." he whispered to no one. "I'll get you next time. You won't get away!"

"Sooooonic!" There was a familiar voice, one that told Sonic it was time to go. He instantly bolted from the canyon and back into the desert just as the pink hedgehog, Amy Rose, was just arriving at the spot. "Darn it Sonic, why don't you ever stay put? Come back!" She continued running after Sonic, trying to catch up, though she was hopelessly slower than Sonic and had no chance of catching up.

While Sonic was running, he all of a sudden found himself running through a flash of light, and then smack into a smooth solid wall. His dazedness led him to fall backwards and watch as the room he was mysteriously in spin round and round. Once he regained full consciousness, he got up to his feet and looked around, he was in a small, dark room completely enclosed with four walls. Although there was a door on one of those walls, the one he had actually slammed into. While his natural instincts told him to open the door, another voice was telling him to remain calm.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked, looking at the figure standing just opposite the door.

"Call me Sir."

"Ok... Why am I here?"

"I brought you here, while you were running. I opened a portal in your path and you ran straight through."

"That wasn't very nice..." Sonic rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, he felt like an idiot. Not only did he run straight into a wall, but on top of that someone saw him.

"It was necessary," Sir replied. "I have a proposition. If you enter my tournament, fight for me, I can make sure that Eggman never succeeds again."

While this sparked Sonic's interest, he wasn't too sure he wanted make that deal. "I'm not sure..."

"Think about it for a minute," Sir persuaded. "You're already here, and all you have to do is fight a simple tournament to make sure that your arch enemy never defeats you again."

Sonic pondered a few seconds longer, now that he did realize how simple it was, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. "Alright. You got a deal," Sonic concluded with a thumbs up.

By Halo


	33. Prefic Samus

**The Hunter**

The facility was mostly quiet, punctuated only occasionally by the screams of the experiments. But that was to be expected, and the scientists largely ignored them. The experiments themselves, however, were often surprised by the screaming; this was their duty, and any pain they suffered was for the greater good. They shouldn't be screaming during it. But some things go beyond duty and order, and one of those was just how painful these inhumanly cruel tests were.

A lone figure stood on a rafter, high above everyone else in the facility. She was disgusted by what she saw; even after all her years in this line of work, the Space Pirates never ceased to fill her with hatred and revulsion. They were cold and unfeeling, willing to slaughter their own kind in their desperate bid for power. And that was why she dedicated her entire life to stopping them. Their insane plans had killed her real parents, and then wiped out the entire Chozo race, her adoptive parents. She knew, more than anyone, what the cost of a Space Pirate victory was.

And she had done well in her job. Charging up her blaster and steeling her nerves, she thought back to all her prior accomplishments. Destroying the Pirate's base at Zebes, killing their political leader, Mother Brain, and stopping their twisted Phazon experiments. By herself, she had caused more harm to them then entire civilizations, and that is why they called her...

"The Hunter!" a pirate scientist screamed in their harsh language. Samus Aran, the legendary bounty hunter, had just jumped down from the roof, and the visage of her Power Suit might as well have been the Angel of Death to the panicked aliens. The shot she had charged on the roof tore through the air, striking and killing the scientist closest to the alarm. She changed her aim almost instantaneously, letting uncharged shots zoom towards the defenseless Pirates.

The Space Pirates were, understandably, in complete and utter terror. None of them were combat class. Sure, they had blasters, but this was _The Hunter_. She'd destroyed entire legions of elite troops with little effort. The massive amounts of fear she inspired was a weapon equally as effective as her blaster; most of the Pirates took to running around the room like headless chickens, to be quickly felled by Samus. A small group of the more level-headed ones took to hiding behind a computer console, where her shots couldn't reach them.

"What do we do?" one whispered urgently.

Another Pirate, who had been the leader of the project, whispered back calmly, "We need to alert HQ about this breach of our defenses. If we spread out and run, The Hunter may shoot the ones away from the alarm first, and…wait. Why is it so quiet?"

Indeed, for the first time since Samus' arrival, the room was eerily silent. At the behest of the leader, one of the lesser Pirates peeked out from behind the console. Samus was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey guys," he said, turning to give them the good news, "I think The Hunter is…"

Instead of the sight of his companions however, he was greeted by the arm cannon of Samus' suit. Before he could even scream, a fully-charged blaster shot hit him head-on, and he died instantly.

Samus checked the power levels of her suit. Operating at maximum capacity. Good, the Pirates had given her less trouble than she had anticipated. As Samus headed for the door, she took one last look at the experiments they were performing. Most of them were dead, either from Samus' shots or from the experiments themselves. One, however, still twitched and throbbed, an abomination that was clinging to life by a few thin strands. She visibly cringed as she looked at it, and turned back to the door with renewed determination.

Right before she opened it, however, she heard a crashing noise. That one live experiment was barreling towards her, a mad glint in its eyes, howling unintelligibly. She held up her arms in front of her face to protect herself, but it turned out to be unnecessary. The monster staggered backwards as if it had been struck and fell over, dead. Samus walked up to it and examined the corpse. Turning on her scanner, she tried to determine what just happened.

"Physiology: Space Pirate, heavily modified through use of dangerous substance, Phazon. It perished recently.

Cause of Death: Unknown."

Samus sighed. The scanner was helpful in many situations, but this wasn't one of them. Deciding to leave the mystery alone and get back to her mission, she very nearly jumped when she found a normal human woman standing in front of the door.

"Hello, Miss Aran."

Samus, never one for pleasantries, pointed at the corpse of the Pirate.

"Did you do that?"

"Why yes," the woman said sweetly, "Yes I did."

"Thanks," Samus said calmly. She began to walk past the woman to the door, but she was stopped.

"Now, now, Miss Aran. We just met. Don't you wish to stay a little longer and chat?" she said in the same sweet tones. Samus couldn't figure out why, but the woman sent a shiver down her spine.

"I don't have time. I've got a mission to complete."

"Hmm, oh yes. You're never-ending crusade to eliminate those Space Pirates once and for all. That's what makes you so famous, Miss Aran."

Samus just ignored the woman's words. Her exploits were common knowledge throughout the Galaxy, and she had been tired of hearing about it ever since the first person brought it up. She didn't do this for fame, after all. She started up her walk again, but the woman persisted in talking.

"What would you say if I told you I could end your crusade forever?"

This time, Samus stopped short. Almost too quick for the human eye to follow, Samus changed her arm cannon to missile launcher and pointed it directly at the woman.

"Is that a threat?" she said warily.

"Oh, no, no, you misunderstand, Miss Aran. I didn't mean stop you. I meant stop them," the woman said, in a voice that mocked a hurt tone.

"Stop…the Pirates?" Samus asked slowly, beginning to ease her gun arm down. This woman couldn't be serious. How could she accomplish more than what had taken Samus' entire life to do?

"Yes, Miss Aran. And all I need is for you to do something for me."

"I see. The obligatory catch. And what is it, hm?" Samus asked suspiciously. She was expecting the worst, but what she heard somewhat surprised her.

"I just need you to enter a tournament for me. Win and I'll take care of these Pirates for you. What do you say?"

Samus considered the offer. It seemed like a good deal…almost too good…"

"And if I lose?" she questioned.

"Then you'll be right back here as if nothing had happened."

"…alright. I'll do it."

The woman smiled and waved her hand. The door opened up, but instead of a continuation of the facility, there was a portal.

"Follow me then, Miss Aran."

The woman walked into the portal. Samus paused briefly, but followed her inside, and the door immediately shut behind her.

By OddName


	34. Prefic Yoshi

**Yoshi's Story**

The blazing sun was bright and high in the sky, making the small island almost oppressively hot. Its inhabitants didn't care, though; after living their entire lives in this climate, they'd grown accustomed to the heat waves. In fact, most of them enjoyed days like this, taking the time to swim, nap, or just relax on the islands many beaches and jungles.

The island was, as you probably guessed, Yoshi's Island, and it was inhabited by the reptilian Yoshis. One of them was currently basking underneath the shade of a large tree, his green skin making him blend in with the foliage. He enjoyed his lazy, no-worries lifestyle, capitalizing on it whenever he could. Sometimes he'd go off to play golf, or, tennis, or race, or some other sport with some of his friends off the island, but he spent most of his time right here, surrounded by all the others of his species.

This Yoshi was, of course, THE Yoshi. The one who had helped Mario on so many of his quests to stop the evil Bowser. Many of the other Yoshis looked up to and admired him, but he never really noticed. To him, it was just something he did; it didn't make him special.

His eyes were currently closed, and he felt like he was drifting off to sleep, when suddenly a large growl could be heard. Opening his eyes, he looked around for the source when he heard the growl again. This time, it was obvious where it was coming from: his own stomach. Realizing how hungry he was, he looked straight up and found, thankfully, that he had taken rest under a tree home to several large melons. Opening his mouth, his tongue shot out and grabbed one of the melons, pulling it down and into his waiting jaws. Quickly devouring the large fruit, he sighed in satisfaction and lay back down. Life was good on the island.

Of course, it wasn't ALWAYS good. There was that time when Baby Bowser tried to kidnap Mario and Luigi as babies, and the Yoshis had to take them back home. And the time that Baby Bowser tried to get his revenge by stealing one of their most important fruit trees. Come to think of it, Bowser had attacked their little island a lot over the years, and, while all the Yoshis were eager to help, it sometimes fell almost completely to him to save the day.

Yoshi's eyes opened again as he realized this. His perfect little island paradise wasn't so perfect after all. He didn't mind helping Mario out with his own adventures, but having to protect his own land made Yoshi feel uncomfortable. But that was the price of standing up to the King of the Koopas, he guessed.

The heat began to affect Yoshi as his drowsiness grew, until small snores could be heard coming from the base of the tree. Yoshi wasn't sure how much time passed, but the sun was still up when he was woken up by a strange sound. Opening his weary eyes and yawning, Yoshi took a look around the clearing where he had taken his nap. He was surprised to find a human man standing on the other side. He looked different from all the humans Yoshi knew, though; Mario and Luigi were cheerful and friendly, while this man, wearing clothes that were entirely white, seemed distant and menacing. Yoshi tensed up as the man took notice of him.

"Ah, Yoshi, just the dinosaur I was looking for."

Yoshi cocked his head to the side and stared at the man. He let out several confused-sounding squeaks in response to the man's words.

"But of course," he replied, as if he had understood Yoshi's words. "My name is Sir, and I come to you with an offer."

Yoshi put his head back to its normal position and stood up. Continuing to look at the man with a puzzled expression, he let out several more squeaks.

"Yes, well, you see, I wanted to invite you to compete in a tournament that my superior is holding. It will be quite exciting, you see, and there will be a prize for the winner."

Yoshi continued to look puzzled, but simple curiosity began to make its way onto his face as well. He made more squeaking noises at the man, who smiled back at him.

"That's the beauty of it, you see. The prize will be tailor-made for the winner. For instance, I think for you, the prize would be…" he paused for a few moments, resting his chin on his hand and looking thoughtful, "For your little island here to become peaceful all the time. No more attacks from Bowser or anyone else. What do you say?"

Yoshi's puzzled expression became one of pure interest now. He let out a few more squeaks, and the man nodded in response.

"Yes, some of your friends will be there. Let's see, Mario Mario and Luigi Mario will both be attending. So what do you say?"

Yoshi stood still for a moment, with an expression that suggested he was thinking. After a minute or two, he nodded enthusiastically.

"Wonderful! Now, let's be on our way."

With a wave of his hand, the man opened a large portal between the two of them. Yoshi ran up to it, and, pausing briefly, jumped in shouting "Yoshi!"

By OddName


	35. Prefic Tifa

**And It Don't Stop**

Tifa Lockheart had spent the first dozen or so years of her life mostly unaware that such a boy as Cloud Strife existed, let alone that he existed right next door. She knew he was there, but in the sense that a mapmaker notes a lonesome tree in the middle of a mile-wide meadow. Simple detail, and not worth fussing over.

She had then noticed him – noticed his kindness, his hurt, and his anger. His differ-ences. When he left, she spent the next several years busily falling in love with him. When he returned, cold and empty, it was the same. When they were reunited among a platoon of friends at Radiant Garden, it was the same.

When he arced off into the sky, locked in a battle to the death with his mortal enemy, she was predictably the last thing on his mind. When she vowed on her life to find him, it was the same.

And now she was stomping on daises, cursing the day he was born.

That's amore.

"Selfish _ass!" _she raged, backhanding an armoire. It flew to ragged pieces that clattered on the floor.

"Heartless _bastard!"_, and a granite tabletop bore her wrath, slamming to the ground in two halves that dredged up clouds of stony dust. The man who owned the house, a well-to-do writer who happened to have gone to college with the nephew of the second cousin of Rita Strife, would have a lot of accounting to do when he got home.

Tifa panted, her fists clenched but down. Sweat glistened on her brow.

"I'll find you, Cloud Strife . . . Just as soon as I-"

She collapsed into a padded chair and sighed. "Whoo! That's better."

But if only there were something to put her feet up on – ah! A misplaced footstool. She pulled it up and kicked back . . . back . . . back. _There must be a solid yard of cushion on this thing_, she marveled. _Those novelist types sure have it good._

Now there was time to think.

"Let's see," she announced aloud. She tended to talk to herself more and more often these days. With the exception of passing meetings with Yuffie or Barret or Cid, conver-sation partners were rare. "Check this guy off the list, and . . . next is . . . That salesman in Kalm! Then, if Cloud's not _there_, then we'll check Junon again. Third time's the charm. And then . . .

"And then . . ."

And then what?

Did she expect him to run into her waiting arms like in some B-movie? Or promise not to leave again? Leaving places where he was supposed to stay was in his blood.

_What exactly do you expect to happen?_

_Come on, Tifa. You're grounded, you've got a damn good head on your shoulders, and you know by now to be a realist. In every aspect but one. A girl can't dream forever._

The voice was slow, sultry, not like hers at all. But on some level it _was _hers. And she could not stop it from breathing its terrible logic into her head.

_For all you know . . . he could lose to that psychopath, _it whispered. _For all you know, he could be dead. Knowing that, will you still go on? Will you hope to catch a ghost? Will you spend the rest of your life traveling blind, pining like a forgotten groupie?_

The answer came immediately.

_If I have to._

. . . She just wished it'd be a little easier, dammit.

(_Nothing ventured, nothing gained . . ._)

And from behind, in front, and on all sides of her came a voice.

"It can be," it said solemnly, booming.

Tifa jerked and shot to her feet. Where there had only been musty air and swirling dust before, there now stood a figure before her. He stood comfortably on the ceiling, peering at her with his head cocked gently to the side, as if puzzled.

He wore a featureless black cloak that did not shimmer in the light. His face was a dist-urbing portrait of shadow, invisible beneath the hood. The overall effect was unsettling, in a very quiet way. The air felt vague and grim, as if she were the only mourner at a stranger's wake.

"What are you doing up there?" Tifa asked, with wise caution.

"What are you doing down there?" he replied mildly.

She blinked and the stranger was no longer on the ceiling. Now he was standing on the west wall, his tall frame jutting outwards from the wall like some bizarre ornament.

She blinked again and he was on the east wall.

She blinked and he was behind her, close enough that she could sense him. She whirled about, preparing a kick.

"I wouldn't do that," advised the man in the cloak. "After all, we have business to discuss, Miss Lockheart."

"It's 'Ms.'," she heard herself say.

"You want Cloud, _Ms. _Lockheart. Am I right or am I wrong? Because we happen to know where he is . . . And it would be such a shame for me to have come all this way if-"

There was a blur of motion, and Tifa had a fist at his collar, lifting him into the air.

"Tell me what you know," she ordered, not blinking.

The man's head rocked back like a puppet's, but the hood did not fall.

"I offer a compromise, Ms. Lockheart," he said, as unflinchingly as before. But – was that a touch more coldness she detected in his voice? – as if he were offended by some inappropriate comment she had made.

"You have searched far and wide for Cloud Strife. Surely you do not mind searching a little farther – to a little competition, let us say. A sport in which you are hardly green."

A black-coated glove slid over her wrist and clamped down like a vise.

"Cloud Strife is extremely popular where one such as I comes from. You should have no trouble finding him," he intoned, showing by the position of his head that he was looking her dead in the eye. "That is, if you decide to come along . . . and participate."

Tifa let go of his cloak. In her eyes blazed a message: _You better hope you're right._

He tsked, and made a small gesture. "Such a fiery young lady. I wonder if you still have that famous compassion that made your little business venture so successful."

A portal opened into nothing, tearing apart the threads of time. White and black and purple and green and blue and orange, and a thousand thousand other colors, swirled and flared. It was hypnotic – the sort of thing that would drive you insane if you stared at it too long.

Tifa did not. She closed her eyes and stepped bravely forward – hesitating for only an instant.

Her last thought before the awakening was:

_Cloud . . . _

_Please be there._

The starry gate closed, sealing them both into infinity.

That's amore.

By Dragoner


	36. Prefic Carmen Sandiego

**Beyond Infamous**

Of all the artifacts that she had stolen in her industrious career, there were quite a few significant ones that held a place in her heart. One of those items just happened to be a whole building. Every time she thought about the theft of the Golden Gate Girls School, it filled the red haired woman with a great sense of accomplishment. It was among her first major heists and while the building itself wasn't worth much, the sentimental desire to save her orphanage by any means necessary made it priceless. At the moment, she was sitting quietly in the den of the orphanage. Even though she had relocated it to one of her bases, the red haired woman could still feel at home here. Her fedora red hat was hanging lazily on the back of a chair. For once, her mind was not focused on her next caper or her plans of escape should her underground base be discovered. Today, the mastermind allowed herself a chance to reminisce about the past.

Since giving up her life as a detective, she has only risen to greater heights as a master thief. She single-handedly formed a crime syndicate with well over a few hundred members. She created a series of underground bases around the world, each with warehouses large enough to store whole neighborhoods if necessary. She ran circles around local and national governments as they futilely tried to track her down. Aside from the A.C.M.E. Detective Agency that trained her, her brilliant schemes were usually beyond the scope of law officials. She even attempted to re-write history a few times. Of course, those ventures usually turned into more of a hassle than they were worth. Carmen Isabela Sandiego had become a legend within her own lifetime.

_I've done so much and yet…sometimes, I wonder if there will ever be a plateau? Will I forever be topping only myself?_ Carmen sighed to herself as she shifted a little in the soft armchair. Those who didn't know her very well assumed that she was just a greedy criminal with a flair for theatrics. They never understood that she truly relished the chase more than the artifacts themselves. _This game of wits and cunning against the world has been wonderful at times…but lately, the recruits from the agency aren't keeping up with me as much as they used to…_

_Also…my legacy will eventually end._ She briefly glanced back at her hat and realized that despite her confidence, she feared what the future might bring. _Time machines are unreliable. Trying to control my destiny beyond my life only created more headaches to fix. Still, I'll need to stomach it if I really want to be the greatest thief in history-_

Carmen's mental musings were interrupted by the sound of footsteps from the wooden hallway. The footfalls were almost silent and if the floorboards weren't old and creaky, she doubt she would have heard anything at all. All at once, sentimental thoughts gave way to rational logic. _Someone is here…but how did they find this base, let alone get into it and discover the warehouses? For that matter, why did they choose to explore the orphanage first when-_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a man's voice, "To answer the first question on your mind, I have my methods for getting into difficult places. As for the second, that is because I knew you would be here, Miss Sandiego." As soon as he finished speaking, the man entered the den. His body was cloaked in a rather large hooded overcoat and his voice seemed to echo with an air of importance. Although Carmen was a little surprised to find her questions answered, she dismissed her concern quickly, "I must be getting old if I have become that easy to read." The man replied with a slight hint of humor, "You are only that easy for me to read."

Despite the banter, Carmen was using every second she could to assess this stranger who managed to get this far without detection. _Well, he certainly doesn't act as if he is with the agency. If he were, he would have barged in with several local police covering him and holding out a warrant for my arrest._ Before she could even speak a word of her suspicions, the raised his right hand and in a small flash of light a warrant for Carmen Sandiego appeared in his hands. He held it up a moment and waited for Carmen to realize it was authentic. As soon as he read that thought, he tore the warrant into small pieces and scattered it over the den floor. He spoke up, "I trust this display shows that I don't work for anyone you've had contact with." The red haired thief couldn't be certain but she guessed that the man was smirking underneath his hood.

The hooded man continued on, "Still, my time is just as valuable as yours. So I will get to the point of my visit. I represent an organization interested in hosting a tournament of the greatest heroes in the universe. You have been invited to fight in this tournament, Miss Sandiego." Carmen's initial reaction was a blank stare at the man which was soon followed by a round of laughter. She had been given strange offers before but this by far was the strangest of them all. After taking some time to catch her breath, she responded, "Ha! That is a rich. To think you came all this way just to send me a tournament invite. I almost feel flattered." Her amused expression slowly began to fade as she continued, "In case your superiors failed to inform you, I am not exactly in the position of making that public an appearance. Furthermore, I'm a thief. If you want muscle for your fighting tournament, I have a few key members in V.I.L.E. I might consider loaning out. But you can tell your superiors I refuse."

She had expected the man to show some kind of emotion at her refusal but instead he just waited patiently for her to finish. Once she was silent again he added, "Would you still refuse if you knew the winner would have their greatest desire granted?" Carmen coolly replied, "What I desire, you can't grant." The stranger shook his head a moment, "Now now, Miss Sandiego. Do not underestimate the power of my organization. We have the power to affect whole worlds. It would be well within our power to give you what you desir-" Carmen, growing tired of the mind games, called his bluff, "Well, if you know me and 'my world' so well, tell me what would I desire."

The hooded stranger never hesitated, "To be immortalized. You seek someone to challenge you to new heights and to continue your own legacy. The tournament itself will fulfill your first desire and the prize will deal with the second. Furthermore, you lose nothing if you should be defeated. If you need further proof of my claim, think back to when I first arrived. I am not allied with the detective agency hunting you. You watch the agency for new recruits constantly. You already know the voices of the ones with the skill necessary to track you. So how could I have obtained an authentic warrant with the signature of their chief? How did I know exactly the right answers to give you even though you hadn't spoken your questions yet? Perhaps the fact that I materialized out of thin air is another clue? There is no conceivable way for anyone to sneak down here through natural means. So perhaps you shouldn't dismiss my claim so readily."

Carmen was hardly pleased with this situation. She trusted this mysterious visitor about as far as she could throw him. He had done things that didn't make sense to her but she refused to believe that all his superiors wanted to do was host a tournament. Regardless of the sponsors' true motives, she still found the idea enticing. If they really could alter worlds, then this could be her last chance to grasp at greatness. She could wish for a challenger who would continue to evolve with her. A worthy person who wouldn't resort to harming the innocent like Lee Jordan did after his lucky break. Or she could do as he said and ensure that she is remembered for all-time. If this was a possible way to continue her legacy, then she would take it. With a small smirk, the woman in the red trench coat stood up. She grabbed her fedora hat and placed it on her head allowing the shadow of it to cover her face. She traced her right hand along the edge as she replied, "Very well, I'll play along for now."

By Cahb42584 (Guest)

googlefoundcarmensandiego . ytmnd . com


	37. Prefic Ivy Valentine

**Souls and Swords**

The flickering light of a candle could still be seen in the massive library of the mansion. The mansion's owner, a white-haired woman known as Ivy Valentine, was still poring over the ancient tome she had managed to acquire. With each new word she read her interest grew, leading her to read more and more of the book. She had barely even slept the past few days, and all her waking hours were spent reading.

She was quite justified in her consuming obsession, however. After all, she had spent years trying to find some way, any way, to destroy the evil sword known as Soul Edge. And by some miraculous piece of luck, she had found a book that detailed a sword of opposing energies; a spirit sword known as Soul Calibur.

If this book was right, then all of Ivy's prayers had been answered. For every bit of evil and corruption that Soul Edge embodied, Soul Calibur countered with good and purity. If the wielder was skilled enough, the spirit sword could very well destroy the blade that had shattered the lives of so many. And Ivy was certain that she had enough talent to accomplish this.

Even if this Soul Calibur hadn't been brought to her attention, Ivy would need a new sword soon anyway, or get her old one repaired. And neither was even remotely a simple task. Her sword was special: it was capable of coming alive into a whip form, offering a completely original fighting style. But the alchemic magic that held it together was beginning to come apart at the seams. Without some attention, her beloved Valentine would soon be useless.

And so Ivy pressed on with her research, ignoring that weariness that gnawed at her eyes. She was so wrapped up in her research that she didn't even notice when a man walked right into her library. It took him walking up behind her and speaking to finally get her attention.

"You'll be giving me that book now."

The words jolting her back to reality, Ivy stood up and spun around. A tall, dark-skinned man stood before her, looking incredibly menacing and imposing. Still, Ivy grabbed her blade Valentine and stood defiantly before him.

"What did you say?" she asked dangerously.

"I said that I'll be taking that book. It is not yours to read."

Grabbing the book from her desk, Ivy clutched it defiantly as she waved her sword menacingly.

"You won't be taking this book without a fight."

"So be it."

Seemingly from nowhere, the man produced a massive scythe. Swinging it quickly over head, Ivy just barely managed to dodge the blade as it sliced her desk in half. Lunging at the man with her sword, he blocked her blow with the shaft of his scythe and pushed against her, throwing Ivy off-balance. Taking advantage of this, he swung the scythe in a circular motion, aiming for the legs of his opponent.

Once again almost getting hit, Ivy managed to perform a back flip, avoiding the pointy tip of the man's weapon. This time, Ivy struck using the whip-like quality of her sword, causing it to extend and move erratically. The man, unprepared for such an attack, tried to block, but still suffered a cut along his left leg. Steeling himself against the pain, he jumped forward, swinging his deadly scythe in a large arc.

Ivy was prepared for him this time, though. Ducking and rolling to the side, she stabbed forward, adding another injury to the man's already pain-stricken leg. Jumping backwards to stay out of the man's strike range, she swung her sword for what was planned to be the final strike, hoping to score a critical blow using the whip aspects of the Valentine.

Something went wrong this time, however. Halfway through Ivy's swing, the sword ceased to snap through the air, and instead fell to the ground, as if dead. In her shock, Ivy didn't even notice the man take advantage of this until it was too late, the scythe cutting into her arm and causing white-hot pain to flood though her body. Grinding her teeth in an effort not to scream, she quickly leapt backwards and prepared to continue the fight.

The man seemed to have lost interest in the fight, however. Instead, he bent down and picked something off the floor. Ivy realized too late that the arm that the man had stricken had been the one holding the book. Starting an attack to get the book back, she stopped when she found that the man was doing something she hadn't considered; he was _burning_ the book.

"What are you doing?" she cried out in surprise and fury.

"Erasing the mistakes of my past life," the man cryptically replied.

Dropping the book, he limped his way over to the library door. Ivy would have pursued, but the flames from the book spread quickly, creating a wall of fire between her and him. Ivy sunk down onto her knees as the events that had just transpired hit her; the book that contained the knowledge she needed was gone. Gone forever.

Her elbows soon found the floor as well, and her hands supported her head. Her real father, Cervantes, had become a slave to Soul Edge's will both in life and death. And her adoptive father had died in his mad quest to find the cursed sword. But when it finally seemed possible for her to get rid of the evil sword, a cruel twist of fate took it away from her. Ivy was so lost in her sorrow that the sudden appearance of a woman in front of her barely seemed to register with her.

"My, my, Miss Valentine, your luck really has taken a turn for the worse."

Ivy's head snapped up upon hearing these words. As if one unexpected guest wasn't enough, now some woman dressed in white was talking to her amidst the burning of her mansion.

"Leave my home, wretch. I have neither the time nor the patience for anymore mysterious figures today."

"Ho ho, but you are a feisty one, Miss Valentine. But I think that what I have to say will interest you."

Ivy picked herself up from the floor when the woman was finished speaking. Grabbing her blade, Valentine, she held it aloft and pointed it menacingly at the woman.

"I care not what you think may interest me, woman. My only current interests are to make you leave at once."

The woman laughed slightly at these words. This only increased Ivy's rage, and she stared at the woman all the more intensely.

"Well, I merely thought that after what has just happened, you would like another chance to obtain the Soul Calibur."

At the mention of the spirit sword, both Ivy's gaze and grip on her sword faltered slightly.

"…what do you mean?"

"Well, I am a member of an organization that is holding a tournament soon. We wanted you to participate, and if you were to win, then we would be perfectly willing to secure the spirit sword for you."

Ivy slowly lowered her sword as she considered this. Competing in a tournament would certainly be easier than searching all of Europe without the slightest clue where to look. This woman may not be very trustworthy, but it was her best shot.

"…very well. I'll enter your tournament."

The woman smiled, and made a sweeping gesture to her right. As if on cue, a portal opened up exactly where her hand was pointed towards.

"Wonderful. Please, follow me, Miss Valentine."

The woman disappeared into the portal, and Ivy was soon to follow, leaving the mansion to collapse from the raging fire caused by the man.

By OddName


	38. Prefic Terra

**More Than Human**

The night air of Mobliz was quiet, broken only occasionally by the sound of crickets chirping. There was work towards rebuilding the town, but all of the construction workers were currently asleep. The several half-finished buildings and other structures that littered the town stood as proof that the damage Kefka caused was beginning to heal.

On the westernmost side of the town, however, the silence was penetrated by the sound of a door opening. Terra Branford stepped out of one of the few buildings that were fully completed, and out onto the soft grass. She took a few steps forward and looked up at the sky, allowing the cool night air to wash over her. It was late, but Terra had found herself unable to sleep.

Years ago, Terra had been more than she appeared to be. The first (and only) offspring of both a human and an Esper, she was capable of using magic, as well as being able to switch between a human and Esper form. But with the fall of Kefka came the destruction of magic, and she was unable to do any of that since. It was only through the love of the children of Mobliz allowing her human side to pull through that she was even able to survive Kefka's defeat.

The children…Terra had cared for them ever since the World of Ruin first came about. Kefka had obliterated Mobliz on a whim and the adults had all sacrificed their lives to make sure the children survived. And so Terra took care of them, raising and protecting them, and in return, they gave her the unconditional love that she had wanted for so long.

But recently, her desire for love began to bother her again. The love of the children was wonderful, but it wasn't quite the same as the love that she had been looking for. Her thoughts briefly turned to General Leo and the talk they had had concerning love. But General Leo was dead, another casualty of the war that she and her friends had been committed to stopping.

Terra sighed as she scanned the horizon, looking at the stars that dotted the sky. Admiring the beauty of the world, she closed her eyes and seemed to make a wish on the night sky.

"I want to be…loved," she said softly to herself.

"Is that so?" a voice said from behind her.

Terra's eyes shot open and she turned around quickly. At first thinking Katarin had followed her outside; she was greeted instead by an unfamiliar woman wearing all-white clothing.

"Who are you?" she said, more in curiosity than surprise.

"You may call me Lady," the woman said, bowing, "and I have come with an invitation for you."

Terra was a little surprised by this. In the past few years, everyone had been focusing on healing their own towns and parts of the world. People got along well enough, but keeping up connections with one another was still highly difficult. Only Setzer, riding on his airship, could easily visit other people. As such, an invitation was one of the last things Terra expected.

"I'm sorry, but I'm needed here right now. Perhaps once we finish rebuilding I could –"

"This has nothing to do with your world, Miss Branford. This invitation is to a tournament of some of the greatest fighters in the Universe. I could take you to the arena much more quickly than you can travel to another town."

Terra was greatly taken aback at this. A tournament of fighters? She shook her head in disbelief before facing the woman again.

"I'm sorry, um…Lady, but I'm not much of a fighter anymore. I lost my ability to use magic. So you probably don't want me to compete."

"We could easily restore your abilities," the woman said, laughing slightly. "In fact, we could do a lot of things. Such as, say, causing a person to find love…"

Terra gaped at the woman, staring in shock. Was she serious? Could she really do that? And did Terra really want it to happen that way?

"Are…are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Of course," she replied, smiling. "All you have to do is win."

Terra mulled this over, putting deep thought into her decision. After all, being loved was all she had ever really wanted…but this wasn't how she had envisioned it happening…

"Okay," she said finally, "I'll do it."

"Excellent. Follow me, now."

The woman turned and walked straight. It seemed like she was going nowhere, but a portal appeared in the middle of her path, and she walked straight in. Terra followed, uncertainty etched into her face. And the stars twinkled overheard, seemingly oblivious to what had just taken place.

By OddName


	39. Prefic Tidus

**Listen to my Story**

_Do I exist?_

The thought echoed in the empty space of time. It was in a place that did not exist. Or at least a place that might not exist, for existence relies purely on perception. Tidus had been nothing more than part of a dream world. But our dreams are as real as we make them out to be. To Yu Yevon, Tidus existed in that dream world of Zanarkand. He was a star blitzball player on a team known as the Zanarkand Abes. But in the world of Spira, he simply did not exist. But how could one know that Spira was the world that was real, and not the true dream, while the Dream Zanarkand was the reality? It's all in the perception. To Tidus the world of Zanarkand was the one that existed. It was his Zanarkand. Much different from the Zanarkand in Spira.

_How do I know I exist? How do I know all of this is real?_

In his non-existence, he had thought several times about this. Was he real? "I think, Therefore I am". But that didn't necessarily hold true. Tidus had thoughts... he had memories. These were the things that he was made up of. These were the things in the end that he used to cling to the world of Spira. His existence had been only erased in physical form. It was in the form of memories, and therefore time itself, that he existed. It was this that allowed him to linger in the limbo between existence and non-existence. So it wasn't completely that he existed because he thought, but rather that he could exist because other people thought about him.

It all went back to one thing- How was he able to exist in the world of Spira? How was his father able to exist in the world of Spira for that matter. It none made very much sense. Sins world was nothing but a dream world. If it weren't Tidus would've never vanished when Sin was destroyed. When the dream ended.

Everything he had done in Spira... everything he had touched, everything he had tasted, and everything he had smelled was real to him. How was he able to experience these things if he were nothing but a dream? How was he able to feel the emotions that he had? Was the dream world so real... that he too could become real? For him, it was Auron that brought Tidus to Spira. Auron... the old man had been dead for a long time. That was why he was able to get inside the dream world himself. But how could someone who actually exists be able to exist in a world that's no more than a dream.

It had to have been because the dream was created, practically artificially built. The dream wasn't something that came, it wasn't just thoughts. It was something more. That had to be the reason that Tidus could exist. It was the only answer he could find within himself.

Yu...na

The name flashed through Tidus's mind. It was a name that was associated with a lot of emotion for Tidus.

I... love... Yu...na

These were the particular thoughts that were keeping him around. Others might forget him... but not Yuna. Yuna would never forget Tidus, and Tidus would never forget Yuna. Their love was unconditional. They were meant to be together.

Yuna, Yuna, Yuna, Yuna, Yuna, Yuna.

The name kept racing through his head. It was like an itch he could not scratch. It bothered him the more he thought about it. The more he thought about not being able to have her. Not being able to hold her. Not being able to kiss her. Not being able to touch her. Not being able to tell her he loves her. Every time he thought her name, he could feel the pain and love at the same time. It was a rush of emotion for him.

**To Exist**

In the world of emptiness and nothingness where Tidus had gone to, he had started to for the first time hear someone speak. Was he returning to Spira? Was he going to a world where those who don't exist.. no that didn't make sense. A world with those who didn't exist, that would make them exist. No instead they'd simply fade away. There were just too many endless possibilities for those who didn't exist.

**To be real**

He was certain that he had heard the voice that time. But.. how? Was it someone else who had found their way to Spira from the dream world?

I am certain that is your wish. And I believe that I can grant it

For someone else to exist in the emptiness Tidus was in... could it mean that he did in fact already exist? Was he holding himself back? Or was something else holding him back? Or maybe it was that he did exist, but couldn't find a way to do so yet. But this voice gave him hope.

"Who's there?" Tidus asked.

**I have come offering to place you into existence. I can give you the desire that you hold deep within your heart- the desire to be with Yuna.**

Tidus had now began to wonder if this were merely a figment of his own imagination. Was this person before him, a thought created by a thought? Was it even possible?

**I have come with an offer. You may accept, or you may decline. I can place you into existence, so that you may be with Yuna. But first... I need you to win a tournament for me. A win is all I ask. I would provide existence where the tournament will be held. All you would have to do is win**

"Alright, Count me in!" Tidus said enthusiastically.

**Given the chance to exist... that is a heavy desire for one. But not as heavy as your desire for your true love.**

A door opened up within the space of emptiness. The barren whiteness started to fade away as Tidus stepped through the door.

"...To truly exist again" Tidus's final thoughts faded, leaving the empty space he had come from, even more empty than it had been before.

By Cloud and Squall


	40. Prefic Kirby

**Pie-O!**

A single star streaked across the sky of Dream Land, zooming across the horizon. Citizens of the peaceful land all over were able to look up and see it as it made its way towards its destination. Most of the inhabitants knew what that shooting star meant, and they were glad that he was still around. After all, he was their protector.

Riding on the star, of course, was none other than Kirby, champion of Dream Land. Whenever there was something threatening the peaceful world, Kirby was right there to stop it. He didn't really like having to fight to keep it peaceful, but actually making Kirby _sad_ was a nearly impossible feat. So one would never be able to guess how much he disliked all the quests he undertook, as his cheery persona never dampened for a second.

Clutching two of the stars points with his little flipper-like hands, he guided in into a steady arc downwards, preparing to land. The star responded by entering a much quicker descent than Kirby had planned, going almost straight down.

The star crashed into the ground, sending Kirby tumbling to the ground. He managed to end the roll on his feet, however, and seemed to be completely unfazed by the whole turn of events. A group of King Dedede's minions a few feet from the crash site, however, seemed very fazed by it. So much so that, at first, they didn't even react to their enemy landing directly in front of them.

Eventually, though, one of them was able to snap out of his shock and draw his sword. Charging forward, he clumsily swung his blade, preparing to eviscerate the hated enemy for the glory of their King. His reward for such an inspiring act of courage and bravery? To be promptly sucked into Kirby's mouth and promptly eaten.

As Kirby's unique biology digested the soldier, a small green hat and a little sword somehow formed on his body. Aside from making him absolutely adorable, it also gave him a weapon to use against the other enemies. The other soldiers, for their part, realized that the threat of being eaten was over, and charged forward to avenge their fallen comrade.

Kirby immediately sprung into action, using his small sword to attack the soldier that reached him first, then jumping up and inflating his body to avoid the attacks of the others. Letting the air rush out of his body, he landed behind a soldier that had stayed back and destroyed him. Getting a firm grip on his sword, he jumped into the air and did a flip, slamming his sword onto the ground horizontally. A shockwave roughly shaped like the sword was sent across the ground, easily dispatching of the rest of the soldiers.

Kirby, happy over his victory, began twirling on one foot. After a little while of this, he did a back flip, followed by a cartwheel back into his position. Back where he started, he raised his flipper up in triumph. Thinking he was alone, he was surprised to hear the sound of clapping a few feet away. Turning, he saw a blue-haired man dressed in white applauding him.

"Hello, Kirby," he said, in a tone that was friendly enough.

Kirby stood up as high as he could and waved enthusiastically at the man, cheerily proclaiming, "Hi!"

"Dream Land sure is a nice place, huh, Kirby?" he said, his tone somewhat patronizing. He talked to Kirby as if he was a child, but Kirby didn't seem to notice. He nodded happily, glad that a stranger could tell so easily.

"But it's not always that way, is it, Kirby? I mean, with King Dedede, and that nasty Dark Matter, you have to do a lot of fighting, huh?"

The man was still talking down to Kirby, and he began to notice. Kirby, however, thought this spoke more of the man's intelligence than Kirby himself, so he chose to ignore it. Kirby nodded again, but not nearly as happily as before.

"Wouldn't it be nice if you could make Dream Land a nice place forever?"

Kirby perked up at hearing this. It certainly would be nice if that were to happen. He nodded once more, practically jumping up and down in his excitement over the prospect.

"Well, if you enter a tournament for me, then I can do that for you! All you have to do is win. What do you say, does it sound like a good deal?"

Kirby pondered this for a minute. To make all the fighting stop, he'd have to do some more fighting. But then, fighting in itself was never really terrible, Kirby just liked it less than other things. That's how he worked; he didn't really dislike anything. Considering this, Kirby nodded once more, consenting to the agreement. As soon as he did, a portal appeared in front of him.

"Good! Just enter the portal and you'll be taken to the Arena."

Kirby jumped up into the air and did a flip, landing on his head. Bouncing off the ground, he went straight into the portal. The man, now alone, dropped the smile and pleasant aura that he had before, instead adopting one of disgust.

"I just hope that dumb little pink ball is as good of a fighter as his track record he would suggest," he said acidly.

By OddName


	41. Prefic Kratos

**Redemption**

_Why did I have to get him! What did I do in my life to deserve this punishment?_

These were the thoughts running through the middle aged man as he slowly ascended a golden stairway. The strange man could have appeared further up the path but he had his reason for walking. He was garbed in a layer of white robes that concealed his appearance but being identified was the least of his concerns. He was the unlucky one. There were some names on the list of competitors that were truly terrifying. Usually, Sir or Lady would handle them directly but occasionally a few names would be filtered down to their assistants. So the assistants would sometimes draw straws to see who got stuck with recruiting them. Some took these tasks gracefully without the slightest hint of worry. Others performed well enough outwardly, but were inwardly frightened.

So here he was, an assistant given the task to convince a blood-thirsty god to join in a tournament made up mostly of mortals. _Just stay calm…don't let him intimidate you. The moment he smells fear, he'll not agree to anything. Besides…there are worse ways to die then being sliced to bits… _ He knew that failure in this matter was not an option and this thought gave him the confidence to press onward. The assistant reached the top of the stairs much sooner than he would have liked and found himself gazing upon a massive temple. With a renewed determination, he pushed the solid gold doors open. Nothing would stop him from reaching the Hall of the War God, Kratos. Whether or not, he'd survive the encounter was another story.

Inside the temple, the walls were adorned with various weapons from almost every age of human existence in this world. From small fighting daggers to massive blades that only a handful of people could wield, no weapon was overlooked. Despite the presence of several pillars, the hallway was large and fairly open. This design probably suited the owner just fine. At the far end of the hall was another set of stairs leading up to a throne. On either side of the staircase was a stuffed and mounted body, one of a giant Minotaur and the former god of war, Ares. Reluctantly, the assistant stepped forward into the hollowed halls. His footsteps upon the marble floor easily made his presence known. As soon as he was well inside a booming voice from the throne made him stop in his tracks, "You have until I stand and walk into beheading range to explain just why you trespass in my hall." In an instant, the doors shut behind the assistant and locked themselves. The sound of shifting cloth was defining as the tattooed deity stood up. He instantly summoned his Athena Blades and slowly descended the steps.

The assistant nervously chuckled, "S-straight forward, I see…I-I can appreciate that." As soon as he noticed Kratos increase his walking pace slightly, the assistant decided to skip the small talk. He spoke quickly as he continued to back away from the ever approaching god, "You have been invited to participate in a fighting tournament, Mr. Kratos. Assuming that you win, you wi-AH!" The assistant barely jumped to his right as a bolt of lightning struck his previous position hard. Kratos growled as his feet finally touched down on the marble floor, "You climbed up Mount Olympus to invite me to a tournament! I am a god! Worse still, you make it sound like I would actually lose if I participated!" The assistant quickly added, "I-if you would just let m-" Kratos shouted over him, "You are a fool. Fools like you deserve to be removed from this world." The warrior turned deity swung his Athena Blades up into the air before forcing them to descend upon his hapless victim, "Your pathetic, ill conceived bloodline will be freed from your idiocy." Kratos felt that this would be enough to deal with this man.

In the final moments before the blades arched their way down, something snapped in the mind of the assistant. Kratos last comment hit a nerve within the assistant. It was one thing to call him a coward or a fool. He could accept any verbal abuse just fine. However, Kratos did something more. He insulted his entire family. God or not, what right did he have to make such a claim. A boiling rage filled the assistant as he watched the blades descend. His once fearful face darkened with a quiet rage. With precision timing, he spun his right leg upwards and kicked the flat side of Kratos's leading blade. It tangled itself up with the chain from the other blade and both weapons crashed hard into the ground just to the left of the assistant.

Kratos was visibly surprised that the man before him was still alive. While the war god pulled his blades back and untangled them, the assistant stood firm. He repeated Kratos' words with a quiet hatred, "…'pathetic'…'ill-conceived'…" The man laughed darkly, "That is amusing…a man who murdered his own family denouncing the linage of someone else. I wonder what they would think of it? Do you want to ask them?" A slightly growl came from Kratos as he charged twisted his blades in the air again, "I will enjoy seeing a delusional man like you die slowly." This time, the blade descended in a horizontal line towards the assistant's chest.

The assistant ducked underneath the powerful swing and grasped the chained hilt of Kratos' blades. He continued on as if he hadn't just been attacked, "I am not some weak willed peon from your world. I work for a larger organization that has powers beyond your own. How else do you think a 'fool' like me could appear on Mount Olympus without breaking a sweat. Furthermore…" He paused briefly once he felt Kratos pulling on the weapons to get them back. The assistant let go causing the god of war to stumble back a few paces. The assistant resumed his speech, "Bringing back the dead wouldn't be out of our abilities. All you have to do is win our tournament and we will grant you anything you desire…even the revival of your dead family. So now you have two choices, participate and try to win back your family…or refuse and forget any hope of seeing them again."

Kratos glared at the assistant with a hatred that would unnerve most men. Despite the intensive gaze, the assistant showed no fear inside or out. Slowly, logic gave way to rage in the mind of Kratos. If this really was a chance to regain his family, he would be a fool not to accept it. The conditions were simple, win a tournament. How hard could it be for the God of War? Eventually, Kratos spoke up, "Once I win, you had better deliver on your end of this deal…or else I will personally rip apart every last member of your organization." The assistant smirked slightly, "My superiors will be happy to know about your co-operation."

A sudden flash of light engulfed the hall and when it finally dimmed, both the God of War and the assistant had left the world.

By Cahb42584 (Guest)


	42. Prefic Yuna

**Someday the Dream will End**

Yu Yevon was at one time a grand summoner who had realized that his city was on the verge of defeat. To preserve his wonderful city of Zanarkand he summoned a dream zanarkand that was manipulated using Pyreflies. In the process he created Sin, an invincible armor that could not be penetrated by normal means. It was then that his daughter Yunalesca offered to the people of Bevelle a way to calm the summon. This would create a hope for the people who had no way of fighting against the creature. In return, they would have to follow the teachings of Yevon, which included banning the use of Machina, the things that the summoners were no match for. In return Yunalesca created a way to create the final aeon, using her husband lord Zaon for the fayth. She used the final summon, and in return died. But her soul was bound to the world by the need to continue the tradition of the final aeon.

For 1000 years, the people of Spira would suffer for the sins of their ancestors. They were taught the only way to drive away sin, was for humankind to purify themselves. The only other option was for a summoner to summon the final aeon. Humanity had never achieved such a purity, and as a result sacrificed several summoners for a few years, or sometimes only months of Calms.

Yevon himself was corrupted, but so were the officials of the church, who continued using machina, and refused to obey the teachings of yevon they so heavily preached. Nothing was as it seemed, as even the Grand Maester Mika was an unsent. The world of Spira was in a pitiful state. Their only hope to end their sorrow laid in the hands of the Summoner Yuna, who had been labeled as a traitor by the Maesters of Yevon.

Their choice to destroy mankind's only hope... was not an easy decision. Yuna nor her guardians wanted to see her die. But there was no other apparent choice. But the Fayth themselves knew a way to free Spira of the terrible monster known as Sin. A thousand years of torment and sorrow for Sin would finally be over. The Eternal Calm would finally come. Not through humanity achieving the unattainable purity, but rather through the efforts of Yuna and her friends.

But their own efforts did not go without sacrifice... along with Sin, Dream Zanarkand too would disappear forever. And with it Tidus. Though he was not from Spira, and though he had been given life by Yu Yevon, he chose to fight knowing that he would disappear forever. It was a sacrifice that at one time Yuna herself was going to make. The same sacrifice Tidus wanted to stop her from making.

"High Summoner Yuna brought to us the Eternal Calm. She brought happiness to all of the people in Spira. And yet... you can see the sadness in her eyes" Shelinda said.

Lulu nodded. It was very apparent that Yuna was sad. She was highly optimistic that Tidus would return... but she still missed him. She wanted him to be there, to hold her, to tell her everything was alright.

"She still misses him" Lulu said.

Yuna had been watching the sky for sometime now. It was as if she were starting at something particular, but there was nothing in particular for her to stare at. The sky had been completely empty. Yet her stare remained constant, undisturbed. It was almost as if she were looking at Tidus standing up there somewhere.

Lulu walked over towards Yuna

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Yuna nodded, keeping her eye trained on that specific spot in the sky. Her gaze hadn't broken away from it the whole time she had been there. She was in very deep thought.

"It's been a while since we've been here." Yuna said.

"Yes, it has"

Yuna slowly got up, and took her gaze off of the part of the sky she had been staring at. The sadness in her eyes started to fade, and a smile spread across her face. It was a smile mostly to tell her friends that everyone was alright. It was the same forced smile she had when she was on her journey. She had known it would end in sadness... but she never really knew that it would end the way it did.

"Yuna not worry. Kimahri will go with Yuna"

"Thank you Kimahri" Yuna said. "But... I need to go alone"

Yuna brushed herself off, and looked back to the sky. She took a deep breath before walking into the Farplane. Her heart was filled with the memories of Tidus as she entered the farplane.

"Are you there?"

Tidus didn't appear in front of her. She was unsure weather this was a good thing or not. It meant that he may still be alive. But it also meant that he may no longer exist in this world in any form.

Yuna's thoughts remained focused on her love. The pyreflies in the farplane did not react to her memories. She could sense that Tidus wasn't there.

_Yuna_

The voice echoed throughout the farplane. It was not a voice she recognized. It wasn't the voice of Tidus that she was hoping to hear. It wasn't a voice that brought any comfort to her.

_Tidus still lives_

The voice eased her sorrowful heart.

_His existence is not entirely erased from this world. His memories still linger in this place. I can help you bring him back._

Yuna truly smiled for the first time since bringing the eternal calm.

But I need something from you first. There is a tournament on another world. It is a tournament that is being held by my superiors. I have seen the sorrow that is in your heart. That is why I have come to offer this invitation to you. I have heard your cries all the way from where I come from. I wish to give you a chance to ease that sorrow. If you win the tournament, I will be able to make it so that Tidus exists in this world.

"A tournament?" Yuna asked.

_Yes. A tournament of some of the greatest fighters throughout the universe._

Yuna took a deep breath. She looked back to her friends that were still here. The friends and the people that still needed her. She felt that it would be too selfish of her to go. The people of Spira needed someone to look to, even with Sin gone, they needed guidance. Guidance that Yuna was able to provide for them.

_The people of Spira... they love you very much High Summoner Yuna. They would want this for you. If I had offered Spira the chance to bring Tidus back for you, I'm sure they would agree to whatever it was that I wanted. They care about you more than you could ever imagine. Do it for yourself, and do it for them_

"OK, I'll do it"

A gate began to twist into shape in the farplane. The gate shimmered with several colors. It was a gate that provided hope for Yuna, but it wasn't the same kind of hope that Yunalesca provided. It was real hope. As the high summoner stepped through the gate, her hearts sorrow was slightly eased. She knew this might just be her chance to have Tidus back. A chance at real happiness.

By Cloud and Squall

In the eternal words of UltimaterializerX: "Yuna is an excellent character. **FFX-2 never happened.**"


	43. Prefic Lenneth Valkyrie

**A New Beginning**

In only a matter of moments, the world was destroyed. Countless gods, spirits, humans, elves, giants and demons were slaughtered for the sake of a god filled with hatred bigger than Yggdrasil itself. Asgard and Midgard became barren worlds devoid of life. A choir of voices screamed out in unison desperately trying to cling onto their fleeting existence.

Yet it wasn't in vain.

As their voices reached out to the other survivor of the cataclysm, she became a conduit for their power. Through her power, the world was restored to its proper state. All those who had perished were given life once more. It was almost as if the threat to the world was only a nightmare that everyone had woken up from. Loki, who would have destroyed all life, was beaten by Lenneth, Goddess of Creation.

Lenneth opened her eyes as she gazed across Asgard from a field of white flowers. A small gust of wind caressed the field lifting several pedals into the sky. She allowed the breeze to play with her silver hair as she enjoyed the setting around her. Although a few of the flowers around her were weeping lilies, it didn't matter. She was goddess and could unconsciously resist their poisonous fumes just like any other deity. Lenneth appreciated their beauty more than their nature anyway. Her thoughts on the weeping lilies were cut short as she heard a familiar voice call out to her, "Some things never change do they."

A blonde haired man in red armor approached the valkyrie with a small smile. He had a feeling that he would find her here and was more than pleased at being correct. The silver haired woman turned to the blonde man and returned his smile, "Lucian…" With a small nod, she added, "…I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. Its just…I have a lot on my mind." Lucian stood next to her and tried his best to sound reassuring, "You know I will always be here to support you. If you want to tell me what's bothering you Lenneth, I'll listen." Lenneth merely nodded, "I know…I…I always push others away from my problems. It's the future that concerns me Lucian. What will happen now?"

Lucian briefly arched a brow at the question. Although she was trying to open herself up to him, it was hardly enough information to make any suggestion, "Do you mean about the other gods? You revived Odin and forgave him and Freya. They wouldn't do anything to you and even if they tried, I wouldn't let them." Lenneth chuckled slightly at Lucian's bravado. She found it charming that even though he was just a mortal, he would take on gods for her sake.

The young warrior realized from her expression that he was quite off, "So its not them. Are you concerned about the Einherjar? Everyone is doing fine and enjoying their relaxation time." He placed his index finger on his chin a moment, "Well…Argrim did threaten to use Badroch for a new sword sheath if he tried to cheat him at cards again…" At this remark, the normally emotionless valkyrie couldn't resist laughing a little. She knew quite a few of her Einherjar didn't exactly get along but they were all useful allies and generally decent people. After she collected herself, she decided to just tell Lucian, "No, that isn't what I mean. I meant the future of Midgard."

For a brief moment, her eyes left her lover's face and gazed over the horizon again, "Sometimes…I wonder how humanity will survive. Every day, I hear the voices of those who have died. Some of them perished due to their own greed and arrogance. Others…were merely the victims of someone's hatred, fear and anger regardless if it was justified or not. I worry that…I gave Midgard a second chance to destroy itself. Humanity seems to have learned nothing." Despite her harsh words, Lenneth was truly concerned about the mortals in the realm below Asgard. Lucian wrapped his right arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer to him, "You've done so much already. Never forget that. Even if us humans are a little hard headed and sometimes learn our lessons the hard way, there is beauty in our souls too." Lenneth wrapped her arms around the man she loved and nodded, "I know but…I wish there was a way to nurture the goodness in their hearts."

A new feminine voice pierced through Lenneth and Lucian's conversation like a knife through butter, "If you wish to make them understand, then perhaps you would be interested in my proposition." The two lovers separated from each other and turned towards the source of the new voice. A tall pink haired woman wearing a white dress stood before them. While Lucian was wondering who this woman was, Lenneth's eyes widened briefly under the realization that this woman was alive. Lenneth immediately spoke a warning, "You shouldn't be here! These flowers around us are-" The mysterious woman interrupted, "'-poisonous?' I already know that and have…taken the proper precautions. It will take more than these lilies to kill me. Don't concern yourself over my well being."

Lucian was a little less concerned about the stranger's health, "Who in Midgard are you? How did you get here?" The woman chuckled slightly, "In Midgard, I'm no one. However, that won't do for an introduction. Just call me 'Lady'. As for how I got here and your next logical question, why am I here, I represent a very powerful organization that is hosting a tournament of the greatest heroes and heroines to live. Miss Valkyrie, I have come here to personally invite you into this tournament." Lenneth shook her head, "Why should I participate in this? It seems like it would only be a distraction." Lady was hardly hindered by that comment, "On the contrary, I think you'd be very interested. The winner will receive whatever they desire and the organization has the means to accomplish just about anything…including changing the hearts and minds of a world populous."

Lucian frowned at the woman, "So this organization just flaunts its power and doesn't actually do anything to help others." Lady tried her best to ignore Lucian's comment, "Of course, its still your choice to participate or not. Just say no and I will leave you to ponder about humanity for the next few centuries." Lenneth stared at Lady with an unreadable gaze. It was obvious that she felt the same way as Lucian but she didn't seem to be as blinded by that thought, "If I were to win, I only want the good aspects of human nature strengthened. I do not desire for them to lose their free will…I just want them to be more prone to doing the right thing." Lucian stared at Lenneth incredibly, "You are actually going to do it!" Lenneth slowly nodded, "Lucian…please, this could be a chance to end all strife in Midgard. I have to at least try." Lenneth's soft eyes begged for Lucian to understand and eventually he relented, "If this is what you want to do, I'll support your decision."

A smile curled up Lady's lips, "Good, now that the matter is settle-". However, she was cut off by Lucian before she could even finish, "Sign me up too." Lady resisted the urge to shout 'what' in Lucian's general direction. Lenneth was clearly as surprised as Lady. Lucian decided to speak again before either woman could react, "I'll enter the tournament as well and increase our chances of winning. If I should win, I'll make sure Lenneth's wish is granted." Lady finally had enough of this, "Look, this tournament is INVITE ONLY. You are a nobody as far as the organization is concerned. That means you aren't fit for this tournament." Lenneth was a clearly angry at such treatment towards her lover, "If Lucian does not join me, I will not go." Lady was quick to counter, "So you would throw this opportunity away for the sake of your lover?" Lenneth replied coldly, "We will find a way with or without your help."

Lady narrowed her eyes at Lucian. He was a liability and would convince Lenneth to reject the invitation at this rate. She needed to turn this situation around regardless of the methods. Lady took a deep breath and showed off a plastic smile, "Very well, you drive a hard bargain but we really want Miss Valkyrie to participate in our tournament. However, I am only in charge of recruiting the female competitors. Another associate of mine is taking care of the men. I will send him an urgent request to add you to the tournament roster. Also given your varying skills and abilities, its highly unlikely that you two will be pitted against each other unless you both make it to the final match. So I'll take Miss Valkyrie to the tournament grounds and then inform my associate to come pick you up. Okay?" Lenneth and Lucian both nodded in agreement. If there was one thing that working for a large organization with hundreds of secrets taught Lady, its how to be a convincing liar.

The couple held each other close as they prepared to say goodbye. Secretly they prayed that if either of them failed the other would succeed. Lucian whispered softly into her ear, "Be careful, Lenneth. If these people are recruiting gods into this tournament, who knows what else you might face." Lenneth replied, "As long as I know you are there with me, I know I will do well." Lucian nodded slowly, "I'll be there in body soon but I'm always with you in spirit." The two of them shared a passionate kiss which would have lasted longer if Lady hadn't purposeful cleared her throat, "If you two are done, I'd like to get back sometime this decade. I have a busy schedule to keep." Lenneth parted from Lucian and approached Lady, "I am ready." Light engulfed both Lady and Lenneth as they were pulled from Asgard. However, Lenneth turned back quickly enough to see Lucian's confident face one last time before vanishing.

By Cahb42584 (Guest)


	44. Bonus: Porta Dei Preview

This is not my work. It is a plug for a second, most likely better fanfiction. The team working on this one has done fics for 2K3, Villains 2K5, Summer SK5, and a bunch of other work. Every contest fic they do is a part of an ongoing story, but reading the previous fics isn't necessary.

They also use symbolism, which is something you don't find in ours. An example is the paradise that the tournament took place in the other fics was industrialized for this fic, symbolizing CNet's takeover of GameFAQs and putting ads everywhere.

Here is an excerpt of their fic: **The City Of Porta Dei.**

**Mushroom Revolution**

"And-a that big rascally ape, he takes-a the baseball and he throws it, no panache at all, right-a down the middle of the plate like a meatball. So I-a think to myself, "Hey, Mario, it's easy as picking Bowser up by his tail and-a chucking him off the castle wall-"

"Hey! You little overweight collection of facial hair, I oughta-"

"I was-a telling the story, koopa! So-a anyway, I lean back, take-a the biggest swing since Luigi stole-a my lunch in first grade, and… I miss! How could this-a happen? Well, you see, the monkey put this spin on the ball! I should-a have seen it coming, he did eat a banana just before the pitch. You see, he-"

"ALL RIGHT! QUIET!"

You could hear a pin drop. Samus turned to the shorter of the plumbers, finally stirred by her outburst from an empty, tortured stare through the train window.

"I'm sorry, Mario, but… can we leave the stories until next time? It's just that it's seven o'clock in the morning!"

"Oh. Okay. I'm-a sorry, Samus."

No one talked for the last minute. When the train finally reached its destination at Portsmouth Terminal, the six passengers from the Mushroom Kingdom filed through the doorway, not even daring to mutter a quick goodbye.

Once all of them were out on the train platform, Mario turned embarrassedly to the princess.

"Peach, my darling, I don't-a know what came over her. Samus is usually a very nice-a woman-"

"Yeah, sure, nice, she never tried to blow my head off or anything…"

"Shut up, you big pincushion. Oh, now I lost-a my train of thoughts!"

The princess smiled. "It's alright, Mario, I won't be angry at her for it."

Luigi, puzzled, tapped his brother on the shoulder. "Isn't-a it supposed to be your train of thought?"

"I figured-a that if every thought needed a different train, there'd-a be too many trains."

"Oh. That-a makes sense."

"Sometimes I think I'm the only sane one in my entire world…" Daisy sighed to no one in particular. Yoshi indignantly glared up towards her, but she didn't notice.

The big koopa king rolled his eyes. He was trying to ignore the conversation taking place below him, but he'd never been able to distract himself very well. Eventually, though, his train of thoughts ran into something even less easy to overlook than his irritating travel companions.

The train terminal was packed, almost quite literally. Bowser could see almost ten more tracks in the great circle that was the station they had arrived at, and all of them were crowded to the brim with people. Indeed, the only place that wasn't packed was right around the six travelers from the Mushroom Kingdom, where a great crowd of onlookers seemed to be giving these strange characters a wide berth. Only a well to do, slightly past middle age couple seemed to be breaking this implied line and walking up to the travelers.

"Oh dear, George," the women in the couple said to her husband. "Immigrants."

"And the city has so many strange types already," The man called George replied, shaking his head.

"Hey, who do you think you're talkin' to?" Bowser turned around to face the couple in two very meaningful stomps. Oddly enough, it wasn't the threatening sound of Bowser's claws that seemed to most faze them.

"Oh, it talks! How unnatural! I knew we should have never moved to this place."

"It was for business, dear. We're making millions, in case you haven't noticed?"

"We'll have to start thinking about getting a summer house somewhere, though."

"Oh, fine."

Daisy leaned over her friend Peach's shoulders and whispered through her blonde curls, as the other five watched the conversation in disbelief. "Can we, um, go? Now?"

Peach immediately snapped into action, a model of royal propriety. "Oh! Dear! I'm very sorry to you both, but we've just got to get to our hotel."

"Well, good to see a few of this lot are true ladies." The woman said approvingly. "Where are you staying, my dear?"

"I think it was a place called Chateau D'or," said Daisy, rummaging through her dress for a business card.

"My!" The man exclaimed. "The fanciest hotel in the city, giving rooms to this riffraff?"

"Now, dear, that isn't nice," his wife reproved him. "Very sorry about him, dears. Go check in, then, you'll love the place. See you around the city! Oh! Almost forgot. Why are you in town?"

"There's a big tournament here-a every year. I think. Maybe there's-a been a horrible mistake with the train." Apprehension was starting to creep into Luigi's voice. This was definitely not the place he remembered. Mario, on the other hand, was still beaming, so very typically.

"Oh, no, don't worry," the wealthy woman reassured him. "The mayor was telling me about it just the other day. Well, good luck to all of you!"

And the couple went away, the man called George still faintly shaking his head. With a shrug, Daisy marched off towards the exit, her eyes trained on the business card she had finally retrieved for the directions. Luigi walked awkwardly behind her, still puzzled at the new place he had entered, Yoshi followed obediently, and Peach brought up the rear, still marveling at a train station many times grander than anything in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Mario and Bowser remained where they were, looking around bemusedly. Eventually, the two turned to one another.

"Well, plumber, this place sure isn't the boring little place in the boondocks it used to be. I like it!"

"Eh, I think-a I miss the old Porta Dei. Don't think-a I can open up a shop in this place… Especially only for a month or two."

"This is progress, my fat little mortal enemy! You can learn things from these people."

"Oh-a dear. You're-a going to go and get lotsa really bad ideas you can-a use to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, eh?"

"Absolutely. I mean… Not the bad idea part! They'll be great ideas! You'll get what's coming to you at last!"

"Just-a don't kidnap Peach during the tournament. Please?"

"I make no promises! There are just so many places to hide her in this wonderful paradise…"

"I think a pigeon went-a to the bathroom on my head."

"Paradise!"

To read more, get a GameFAQs account, and get over to the Summer Contest board and find the topic "Fanfiction Project 2k6: The City of Porta Dei."


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